Tempest
by Syd and Z
Summary: When a new evil shows up on her doorstep, Kira Ford discoveres that she'll have to battle it, along with teenage drama and her own personal life
1. Chapter 1

Start of summer. It had always been her favorite time of year. Especially since she'd become a teacher. 28-year-old Kira Ford loved the sound of the final bell before summer time. The mad rush of students from their classrooms out into the hot and humid air... She smiled, somewhat nostalgic of her high school days when she'd been in their shoes. The room had been filled with her students chattering voices but as soon as the bell rang, their was a loud roar of chairs scraping as students jumped to their feet, happy to be free of school if only just for three months.

"Don't be too happy to be rid of me," Kira joke over the noise, causing a few students to chuckle as they gathered there things and left, saying brief farewells to Kira as they left to begin their summer vacations. Kira smiled, shaking her head a bit as she began putting some papers away in her bag.

"Any big summer plans, Ms. Ford?" Asked a voice. Kira looked up to see one of her students, Miangela "Mia" Rodriguez, standing before her desk. Kira smiled as she finished putting her things away.

"Oh yeah," she said as she picked up her bag and stepped out from behind her desk. "I plan on sleeping late until eleven every day and doing nothing," she joked. Mia laughed.

"Sounds like you've got a very productive summer planned out for yourself," Mia said, joking along with her favorite teacher. Kira smiled.

"What about you Mia? Any big plans?" She questioned. The two made their way out of the classroom once the sea of vacating students had lessened enough for them to get through.

"Hmm, not really," Mia shrugged, raising her voice to be heard over the sounds in the hallway of celebrating students and lockers opening and closing. "Work on some songs I guess. Mom and dad want me to help out at the diner," she said, making a face, "trying to find a way to get out of it. Working the summer away carrying hot plates of burgers and such to the hungry masses doesn't sound too fun."

"WHOOOO! Summer time!" Exclaimed a voice as someone came rushing at them, nearly tackling Mia to the floor as he grabbed her shoulders in a joyous sort of hug.

"Whoa, k Andy, mind toning it down?" Mia chuckled to her friend, Andrew "Andy" Baxter. Andy grinned at her before shaking his head.

"It's summer Mi! Let the insanity reign!" He laughed before taking off down the hallway. Mia watched him taking off and laughed, shaking her head before looking back at Kira.

"Sorry about that," she said. "Andy gets a little hyper and crazy when he……." she paused. "Okay, he's just hyper and crazy," she said. Kira laughed.

"Understandable." Kira replied as they stopped next to the staff room. "Have a good summer Mia; I'll see you in the fall." Kira smiled. Mia nodded.

"Yeah, you too Miss Ford," Mia smiled, giving her teacher a small wave as she stepped away to find Andy and pry him off the ceiling if need be. Kira turned to the door and walked into the teacher's lounge, seeing some of her colleagues chatting over coffee and snacks kept in the room. She gave a small smile of greeting to anyone who looked up to see the new arrival before going over to the shelf of cubby holes at the back wall where all the staff mail or memos were put. She stopped in front of her assigned compartment and reached in, pulling out her things.

"Ah, the sounds of the end of the school year, don't you love it?" Came the voice of Mrs. Lucas, the school's office administrator who was busy sliding envelopes into the other compartments. Kira grinned.

"Who wouldn't?" She replied. She looked through the few envelopes in her compartment, flipping through them to see if there was anything of extreme immediate importance.

"The student evaluations came in," Mrs. Lucas said as she watched Kira looking through the things. Kira looked up at her.

"Should I be worried?" She asked. Mrs. Lucas gave her a warm smile.

"Only if you hate being in the running for teacher of the year come September," she said with a small wink as she finished up putting the envelopes in their intended compartments.

"Ah, being liked by students….so overrated," said the voice of Mr. Harris, the school's gym teacher, as he saddled up beside Kira to get his things out. Kira looked over to him and bit her lip. She had heard many of her students complain about "Hard-Ass" Harris during the school year. She could only imagine what his student evaluations looked like.

"Sometimes, being liked by the students is a good thing." Mrs. Lucas challenged. Kira chuckled.

"You two have been having this debate for years... Have a good summer." She smiled before walking away.

"She's too cheery, it's disgusting," she heard Mr. Harris mutter as she made her way to the door. Mrs. Lucas chuckled.

"Now, now, Ted, sour grapes are unbecoming for a man of your stature," she teased. Kira smiled to herself before leaving the lounge and once again being engulfed in the madness that was the school's main hallway. She wandered down the hallways, watching as the students unpack their lockers and exchange their summer goodbyes. She smiled as she exited the front doors and headed down the steps. She rounded the front of the school and walked down the sidewalk against the side of the building. Just a short distance away was a small footbridge that crossed over one of the small rivers in Destruction Bay. Over that tiny river, was where the teachers' lot was. Pulling her bag up a little higher on her shoulder, Kira continued forward. As she approached the bridge, the breeze picked up a little, making the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Something wasn't right.

--

After a few minutes spent having to pull Andy off other students he'd decided to share his excitement over summer with, Mia finally was able to drag her best friend out school's side doors that led out to the quad and the lush lawn beside it.

"Come on And, let's go," Mia laughed as she threw her arm over his shoulders. "How can you possibly get a start on the summer if you're too busy pouncing on people inside school?" Andy laughed.

"Ah, very good point Mimi, very good point," he said. Mia threw him a hard look.

"You know I hate it when you call me that," she said. Andy chuckled.

"Why do you think I do it?" He teased before ruffling her hair. He laughed like a mad man before taking off, running across the quad. Mia rolled her eyes, groaning a bit before giving chase. Andy laughed, looking over his shoulder to see Mia chasing after him in good fun. He was so caught up in their horsing around, he didn't even notice the motorcycle that was parked right there at the end of the quad, well, that is, not until he slammed into the front wheel and tripped over it, landing on his back. "Whoa, wipe out," he groaned. Up on the motorcycle, its owner who'd been sitting on the seat facing the other direction, spun around and glared daggers at the person who dared jostle is prized possession.

"Watch where you're going, Blondie," he sneered. Andy propped himself up on his elbows.

"What's your problem man?" He questioned. The fellow student narrowed his eyes at Andy, apparently not liking the idea of someone daring to talk back to him. He hopped off the seat of his bike and bent down, grabbing the front of Andy's shirt and using it to haul him up to his feet. Once Andy was up, he kept his hold on his shirt.

"You, want to make something of it?" He said, his tone close to a threat. Behind him, Andy heard Mia's jogging footsteps come to a stop.

"Leave him alone, Christian." She commented, her eyes narrowing slightly at him. Christian looked over Andy's shoulder at Mia with an amused look on his face without letting go of Andy's shirt.

"And if I don't?" He sneered. Mia rolled her eyes and slid her bag off her shoulder, letting it fall to the ground as a sign that she meant business.

"I'll make you," she replied simply. Christian snorted.

"Uh huh, I don't think you'd be able to fight me." He replied, releasing Andy's shirt and shoving him backwards. Andy stumbled back, nearly colliding against Mia who quickly got him and helped him steady himself on his feet.

"You okay?" She asked him. Andy nodded.

"Right as rain," he muttered. He cast a look at Christian, who was glaring at the two of them, before shaking his head and picking up Mia's bag from the ground. "Let's jet," he said. Mia nodded and took the bag from him. Christian snorted again.

"What, here I thought you were going to fight me," Christian said. Mia looked at him and smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I don't actually recall saying that I'd fight you," she said giving a small shrug. "I just said I'd make you leave him alone, and I did, didn't I?" Andy couldn't help snickering a bit beside her. Christian rolled his eyes.

"It's true what they say about you... You are a tease." He muttered. Mia's eyes widened at that.

"Oh shit," Andy muttered. Christian had hit a nerve, Andy knew it, and even Christian knew it. That rumor had been plaguing Mia the entire school year after she made the mistake of going out on a date with Josh Lawson, the captain of the football team and ergo self proclaimed god's gift to the female student body. The date ended up being a disaster when Mia, who'd kept things innocent enough to not give him the wrong idea during the date, refused to let him get too close to her….female student body….which in the end had him spin the story to all his friends and classmates saying she'd been all over him the entire evening only to become cold, or as he put it, "a frigid bitch" just for the fun of it when it came time to follow through.

"What did you say?" Mia growled. Christian looked at her and shrugged.

"You heard me." He replied simply.

"Why you little…" Mia hissed. Andy barely had time to react before Mia went to rush at Christian. Andy quickly grabbed her bag and used it to pull her back so he could get a grip on her shoulders, effectively keeping her from going at Christian. "Let me go, Andy!" She snarled.

"Come on, Mi, he's not worth it," Andy said, trying his hardest to get her to calm down. Christian chuckled at the scene before him—Andy holding Mia back as she tried to get free.

"Oh, what, going to hide behind your little fagotty friend?" He asked. Both Mia and Andy froze at that. After a few seconds, Andy released Mia.

"I'll hold your bag," he said in a calm tone, sliding the school bag off of Mia's shoulder. Christian chuckled.

"Cute man purse." He replied before starting his bike up. "If you two will excuse me, I have places to be." Christian turned back to his bike and was ready to climb on only to be stopped by a hand grabbing his shoulder and turning him back. He was about to fire off a cutting remark, but the fist slamming against his jaw sort of prevented that. Christian stumbled backwards before falling down on his backside. "Oh, you're going to get it now you little fa-" He was cut off mid-threat by a low voice.

"Finish that sentence and you'll regret it," Mia said. Christian looked up to see Mia standing by his bike, glaring at him, making him see that contrary to his original assumption, it had been Mia who had hit him and not Andy. There was silence for a minute before Christian pushed himself up.

"Bitch." He commented. Mia simply narrowed her eyes at him before turning on her heel and went to go back to Andy. Christian growled to himself before taking a few strides towards her, ready to grab her shoulder.

"Touch me and you and Josh will have something in common," she said, not bothering to look back.

"Oh yeah, and what's that?" Christian sneered.

"The inability to have children," Andy snickered. Christian rolled his eyes.

"Children are overrated anyway." He replied.

"But I doubt the pain is," Andy chuckled. Mia walked the rest of the way to him and took her bag back before slinging it over her shoulder.

"You're such a jerk Christian...Why don't you do us all a favor and rid the world of yourself." She commented. Christian snorted.

"Guess I'm not into people pleasing," he said with a smug smirk.

"How shocking." Andy muttered. He put an arm around Mia's shoulders. "Come on, Mia, let's go," he said before leading her away from the unpleasantness that was Christian. The two had barely taken two steps before Christian spoke.

"Oh I see, you're just a tease to every other guy in school but you're really just fag boy's slut, huh?" He chuckled. Mia froze, her fists tightening at her sides. Andy quickly spun around and stormed back over to Christian.

"All right, that's it! You apologize to her right now, scumbag," he demanded. Christian stared at him and simply crossed his arms.

"Who's gonna make me?" He inquired.

"I will," Andy said lowly. He paused and looked around as he saw that their commotion had begun to draw an audience as a crowd of students had taken a detour from starting their summer vacation to see what's going on. Andy looked back at Christian and took a step closer to him. "So unless you want to have our lovely audience here watch you get your ass kicked by 'fag boy', you better apologize," he hissed. Christian glanced at the crowd before looking back at Andy, the smug expression still on his face.

"You're bluffing," he said.

"Who do you think taught Mia that right sucker punch?" Andy replied.

"Probably one of her older brothers." Christian replied. Andy gave a slight chuckle.

"Sure, go right ahead and believe that," he said.

"Uh, are you guys going to fight or what?" Asked someone in the crowd. Andy quirked an eyebrow at Christian.

"I don't know, are we going to fight?" Christian looked at Andy.

"You're not worth it," he stated before going to turn away.

"I believe the man asked for an apology," came another voice from the crowd. Christian shot a glance at the person who made the comment.

"Fine. I'm sorry. Can we all move on with our lives?" He questioned.

"Shouldn't you address who that apology is to? Like, oh I don't know, say 'I'm sorry, Mia,'?" The voice replied. Christian narrowed his eyes and looked at the source of the voice; it was a classmate of his, Nathan Smith. Nathan stood there with his book bag over one shoulder and his laptop carrier over the other. He coolly adjusted his glasses under Christian's glare.

"Stay out of this, geek boy," Christian sneered. Nathan chuckled.

"Ah, so let me get this straight. I'm geek boy," he said, pointing to himself, "and he's 'fag boy," he said, raising his hands up and twitching his middle and index fingers into air quotes. "Good god man, if you're going to insult people, couldn't you at least be a bit more creative?" Christian stalked over to Nathan and grabbed the front of his shirt with one hand and reeled the other back in a tight fist.

"How's this for creative?" He smirked, fully expecting his captive to shake and cower in fear before quickly stammering out an apology.

"Ah, and now the intimidation through violence, the expected next step for the perpetually unoriginal," Nathan said, his cool tone unwavering. Christian's eyes narrowed

"I'll show you perpetually unoriginal," he growled as he made a move to punch him.

"Cheese it you guys, Hard Ass is coming," said a voice from the crowd. Some of the crowd quickly dispersed at that, not wanting to have to face the ill tempered teacher.

"All right, what the hell is going on here?" Mr. Harris's voice boomed as he broke through the remaining crowd. Mia looked at Mr. Harris.

"Nothing sir... Christian was just showing us one of the scenes from the movie he tried out for." She replied. Mr. Harris turned his narrow eyes to her.

"Miss Rodriguez, while I'm sure you have no trouble using whatever tricks you use to charm and hypnotize the male student body, I'm sure those jackasses over there can speak for themselves," he replied. Mia tightened her jaw and had to force herself to keep from slugging the teacher at that, even more so when she heard a few girls in the crowd snickering.

"Sorry sir," Mia forced out through her clenched teeth.

"I should hope that you are." He replied, sneering at her.

"You tell her, Coach," came a sneer from the crowd, Mia closed her eyes and let out an angry sigh.

"Shut it Lawson," she spat out.

"She's right," Christian spoke up before Mr. Harris had a chance to say anything else to Mia. He let go of Nathan before putting an exaggerated arm around his shoulder. "I was just demonstrating some stunt moves to my good friend Nate here," he said. "Isn't that right, Nate?" He said, crooking his arm a bit so he now had him in a slight headlock though it just looked like a friendly gesture.

"Oh yeah, he's just showing us his moves," Nathan spoke. Mr. Harris blinked.

"Somehow I don't believe any of you, but whatever." He replied. He looked at the crowd. "All right, fun's over. All of you clear out and start your undeserved vacations," he growled before stalking away. Some of the crowd dispersed, leaving only Josh and some of the girls who'd been snickering before.

"Have a great summer, Mia," Josh smirked, before making a condescending kissing noise. Mia shook her head and stalked over to Andy, roughly grabbing his elbow.

"Let's go," she said lowly. They walked over to where Andy's car was parked and Mia rested against the side of it, drawing in a deep breath. "God I hate them." She muttered as she ran her hands over her face. Andy sighed and stood beside her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Forget about them, it's summer vacation, it's not like you're going to see them again,"

"Not until September," Mia spat out, looking up at Andy with wet eyes, "right?" Andy sighed and gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"Everyone forgets stupid shit like this in time, no one's even going to remember that stupid rumor come the fall," he assured her. Mia sighed.

"I really hope you're right." She replied. She was quiet for a few minutes before she stood. "I think I'm gonna walk home and clear my head." She commented.

"You want some company?" Andy asked. Mia smiled.

"What about your car?" She asked. Andy shrugged.

"I'll come back for it later," he said. Mia sighed and shook her head.

"I really just want to be alone right now," she said, wiping away an escaping tear. Andy nodded.

"Okay, but only if you promise to call me later," he said. Mia smiled.

"Deal," she said. Andy nodded.

"All right then," he said. Mia smiled softly and turned away, heading towards the footbridge where the teachers parking lot was. Behind her, she heard Andy get in his car and drive away as she took a step on the footbridge. She noticed Ms. Ford up ahead, stopped just on the other side of the footbridge, looking around cautiously. Mia narrowed her eyes in puzzlement before carefully approaching the beloved educator.

"Ms. Ford?" She asked gently. Kira didn't say anything as Mia stepped up beside her. "Ms. Ford, are you okay?" Mia questioned. Kira held up her hand, silencing Mia.

"You need to get out of here Mia." She replied softly. Just as the words were out of her mouth, there was a loud crash, followed by the wind picking up. The area quickly became dark and Kira closed her hand around Mia's wrist.

"When I say run, we run. Got it?" She questioned, Mia nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, got it," she said, she wasn't sure what was going on but she figured whatever it was, questions could wait. They remained stationary for a moment before Kira spoke.

"Run!" She cried, pulling Mia to the left of where they'd been standing. Only seconds after they moved, the area exploded in a cloud of fire and debris. The explosion propelled the two forward, making them land face forward on the small lawn that sat between the now non existent foot bridge and the parking lot. Kira squeezed her eyes shut as she pushed herself up, her muscles screaming in protest with every move she made. "Get up, hurry," Kira said, grabbing Mia's arm and pulling her up. Mia didn't protest as Kira yanked her to her feet. As the started running towards the parked cars, they heard a menacing chuckle. The cars came into view and just as they were approaching them, Kira's yellow Chevy Cobalt exploded as well. They stopped running and just looked at the carnage.

"Fuck." Kira muttered as she spun around. "All right," she growled, "quit hiding, whoever you are." She looked at Mia. "You better get out of here while you still can."

"What's going on?" Mia questioned, starting to feel thoroughly freaked out.

"It's best you don't stay and find out," Kira replied.

"But its best if she does... Then she can watch her favorite teacher die slowly." Came a soft voice from the clouds of smoke. Kira's head spun to the area where the explosion had occurred.

"Show yourself!" Kira demanded.

"Here's a thought," Mia muttered. "Perhaps calling out the explosion happy freakazoid isn't the best of ideas and we should just get out of here."

"The little girl might be right," the voice chuckled. "Too bad it's too late for that." Mia's eyes narrowed.

"Who you calling a little girl?" She snarled.

"Mia," Kira cut in, slowly getting into a fighting stance, ready to face this stranger, "how about you do the tough girl act later, and get the hell out of here now?" Mia looked at her.

"No way am I leaving you here to fight her alone." She replied, getting into a fighting stance herself. "Thanks to Mr. Harris and some other misogynistic members of the opposite sex, I'm in desperate need to hit something," She added once in her stance. Kira looked at the younger female.

"Just be careful." She whispered. They stood in their fighting stance for a moment before they heard the clicking of high heels coming from the smoke.

"Oh, how cute," came the voice as the figure finally appeared from the smoke and stood before them, "the little girl wants to help teach, I think that's so adorable." Before them stood a tall dark skinned woman with dark caramel colored hair done in an elegant bun at the side of her head. She was dressed in a black ball gown looking dressed that was held up by a satiny looking knot on one shoulder, leaving the other bare. She wore a black mask on her face that, along with the dress, made her look like she just came out of a high society masquerade ball. She stood poised with one hand pressed against her hip, the other hanging limply at her side. She glanced from Kira to Mia, and back again before speaking. "The legendary Kira Ford... I must say, I've been wanting to meet you for a while." She commented, stepping forward.

"Didn't know being a good high school teacher made someone legendary," Kira smirked, not wanting to let on to this stranger or to Mia that she knew what the woman was talking about. The woman's eyes narrowed from behind her mask.

"Don't toy with me, yellow ranger,' she growled. Mia blinked.

"Yellow what now?" She asked, giving her teacher a shocked sideways glance. Kira cast a sideways glance at Mia.

"The evil ones always say the stupidest things." She muttered. She sighed, figuring she might as well drop the pretenses. She looked back at the woman. "Who are you and what do you want?" She demanded. The woman laughed.

"You stupid humans amuse me to no end with your secrets. My name is Vengakix, the evil space queen. And you, are Kira Ford... Former yellow power ranger... Although for some reason, you've picked to keep that a secret." She replied. Kira's eyes narrowed as Mia's simply widened.

"I believe I also asked you what you want, queenie," Kira sneered. Vengakix glared at Kira.

"What any evil space queen wants. To take over the world." She threw her arms up in the air dramatically. Kira rolled her eyes.

"Should've expected as much," she muttered. "So, what, you figured to drop by out of courtesy or something? Or are you really that eager to have your butt kicked?"

"Oh no. This isn't a regular house call. You see, I've made it my goal to destroy anything and anyone who plans to get in my way and stop me from completing my task." She replied.

"K….uh you destroyed the footbridge and her car," Mia said, finally getting over her shock enough to speak, "how exactly were those things getting in your way?" She added in a smart alec tone. Vengakix's eyes slowly moved over to Mia.

"You have no idea what you're talking about you foolish girl. Keep your mouth shut and I may let you work for me." She replied. Mia snorted.

"Though I'm sure it might be a better job offer than working at my parents' diner, sorry, I've got to decline. I've heard evil space queens aren't the best when it comes to asking for references for future jobs and I'm all about the career advancement," Mia replied. "But thanks any way," she said. In a flash, Vengakix was in front of Mia and struck her across the face with such thunderous force; it knocked the girl off her feet.

"Silence, you stupid girl!" Vengakix snarled. Kira lashed out at the strike that Vengakix made. Her foot made contact with Vengakix's solar plexus, sending the evil woman stumbling backwards. Vengakix placed a hand on her chest and glared up at Kira.

"Part of being a good teacher, not letting some freakazoid beat on one of my prized students," Kira sneered. She looked down at Mia. "You okay?" Mia nodded against the hand she had on her sore cheek before slowly climbing up to her feet.

"Peachy." She commented.

"How nice to see that ten years of retirement haven't made you rusty, yellow ranger," Vengakix snarled. "All the more enjoyment and triumph when I destroy you."

"Ok, I've had enough of you." Mia muttered, bringing her hands to her right side. She kept them there momentarily before pushing them forward, a gust of wind shooting out from her palms and catching Vengakix completely off guard, and sending her crashing into a nearby bush. Once Vengakix was down, the wind died down as Mia put her hands down.

"What the hell was that?!" Kira asked, looking at Mia with wide astonished eyes. Mia looked at her.

"What, you didn't think you were the only one with a little secret, did ya teach?" She smirked. Kira was speechless. She shot a glance over at Vengakix's downed form.

"She's gonna be down long... We need to move, now." Kira commented, trying to forget what she'd just seen. Mia nodded.

"Whatever you say, teach," she said. Kira grabbed her arm and the two ran off. After some running, which consisted mostly of Kira tugging Mia along while every so often looking back to make sure they weren't being followed, the two reached a moderately sized singular house at the edge of town. Mia stopped and leaned forward, putting her hands on her knees as she caught her breath.

"Jeez, what trying to run a marathon here?" Mia said. She looked up after taking a few deep breaths. "Where are we anyway?" She asked.

"My house," Kira answered. "Come on," she said as she walked to the house and stepped onto the porch. She looked back to see Mia still in the place she'd left her. "You coming?" She asked. Mia nodded and jogged to catch up with her.

"Isn't having a student in your house a big no-no?" She questioned. Kira chuckled as she opened up her front door and walked in, holding it open for Mia who followed in behind her.

"I spent a lot of time at my high school science teacher's place when I was your age, there was never a problem there," she said, smirking a bit to herself. "Go on, have a seat," Kira said, gesturing to the couch in the living room. Mia shrugged and did as she suggested. While she took a seat, Kira went to the kitchen and filled a towel with ice before going back to Mia. "Here," she said, handing it to her "put his on your cheek. I'm assuming it hurts a bit." Mia nodded and took the towel.

"Thanks," she said, placing it against her cheek. "Mind telling me what went on out there?" She asked. Kira looked at her.

"Only if you're about to do the same." She replied. She took a seat beside Mia on the couch. "Something tells me what you did out there isn't something you learned at school."

"Wasn't something I learned, period," Mia replied. Kira tilted her head in a sign for her to continue. Mia shrugged. "It's just something I've been able to do…..for as long as I can remember." Kira was silent for a moment.

"So it was genetic?" She questioned.

"Well, not in the sense that like……I got it from my parents or anything. It's not like Lucy, Eddie, Ricky or Tony can do it too, just little ole me," she said. She shrugged. "I really don't know the how or why about it really."

"Does your family know?" Kira asked. Mia laughed.

"Are you kidding? I've lost count of how many times dad's asked me to help out when the AC at the diner's gone kaput." Kira chuckled.

"Seems like it'd be pretty useful sometimes." She mused.

"Uh huh," Mia said. "All right, I've shown and told, now it's time for you to tell," Mia said, lowering the ice from her face to fix Kira with an expectant look. Kira gave her a half smile.

"It's not very exciting to tell. When I was your age, my three best friends and I became power rangers and we fought alongside our science teacher to save the world." She replied.

"Ah, so that's why you spent a lot of time with your science teacher," Mia muttered finally understanding her earlier comment. "All right, well then go rally your team up, morph into your ranger duds and kick that crazy chick's ass," Mia said. Kira grimaced before standing.

"Not that easy." She replied.

"What part? You and your team have a falling out or something?" Mia asked. Kira shook her head.

"No, more like me and my team aren't rangers anymore," Kira replied. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Okay, okay, so you quit the ranger biz. I get it. But I kinda think when a baddie shows up and outright says she plans on 'destroying' you……it's time to dust off the colored suits and come out of retirement."

"No, I mean we're _not _rangers anymore," Kira repeated. "As in, powers went bye bye ten years ago." Mia looked at her.

"So?" She replied. Kira blinked and looked at her.

"So?" She asked. "It's kind of hard to be _power_ rangers without the power……that'd just make us…..rangers…" She concluded lamely. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Fine, then either move to New York and play hockey or go chase Yogi in some forest somewhere," she said as she got to her feet, "I mean, if you're too scared to fight."

Kira spun around.

"I am not scared to fight!" She exclaimed. Mia crossed her arms over her chest and gave her the most unconvinced look she could muster.

"Oh really?" She asked before giving a small shrug. "Then prove it."

"Well, I think kicking her in the chest after she hit you should count as proof," Kira retorted. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Anyone could have done that." She replied.

"I didn't see you doing it," Kira shot back. Mia grinned.

"I wasn't the one she was after," came her smart reply. Kira sighed.

"Arguing is getting us nowhere." She muttered, running her hands over her face.

"Yeah," Mia agreed. "So why don't we just stop chit chatting, I go on home and leave you to phone up your buds." Mia said as she went towards the door. Kira fixed her with an odd look.

"What don't tell me you're scared," she said. Mia turned to look at her.

"Hell yes, I am," she replied. "So, on that note, good luck Ms. Ford and see you in the fall." Kira sighed.

"Its not exactly safe for you to go back out there you know... This psycho knows who you are now." She commented. "And with what happened out there, chances are the whole you not being the one she was after aspect, isn't exactly an issue anymore." Mia frowned.

"Well, that sucks," she muttered, realizing her teacher had a point. Kira chuckled.

"I'm a teacher...it's kind of in the job description to destroy dreams and whatnot." Kira joked. Mia rolled her eyes.

"So, what am I supposed to do now?" Kira was quiet for a moment.

"Come with me." She commented. Mia considered this for a moment before slowly nodding and going over to Kira. Kira smiled and picked up the abandoned towel of ice. "And keep this on your cheek; you wouldn't want it to swell would you?" Mia rolled her eyes and took the towel of ice.

"Anything else, oh master?" Mia asked. "Would you like me to stand on my head or hop on one foot while I'm at it?" Kira laughed.

"Not right now," she said. Mia grinned.

"If you're sure." She replied. Kira turned around and started walking deeper into the house.

"Come along now," she called back, "don't dawdle." Mia chuckled.

"You sure do love playing the all knowing Yoda figure, don't you?" Mia muttered as she went and followed her teacher. Kira simply chuckled in response. She led Mia to a door located right off the entrance to the kitchen. She opened it to reveal a set of stairs going downward before heading down the stairs. Mia shrugged and followed, placing one hand on the railing and the other holding the ice up to her cheek. "Where are we going?" Mia questioned. "Your secret bat cave or something?"

"Something like that," Kira replied. Mia fixed the back of her head with an odd look but continued following her none the less. They finally reached the bottom of the stairs. Mia's eyes widened and the ice fell out of her limp grasp at what she saw. Before them was a large room that looked to take up the foundation of the entire house. It looked like the base of some high ranking government facility like NASA or something of the sort with computers and monitors lined up against the wall.

"You weren't kidding," Mia breathed out as she took a few steps into the room. Kira grinned.

"Believe it or not, I got the idea from my science teacher back in my ranger days." She replied as she moved forward. She stopped a moment as she thought back to the happy times she shared with her old team, a brief smile coming to her lips before she turned back to Mia. "He was…well, it was a similar situation as this, actually," she said chuckling a bit as a little saying came to her mind—The student becomes the master—Tommy had been a retired ranger and she, Conner and Ethan were a group of stunned teenagers trying to make sense of what was going on. And now, she was a retired ranger…and a high school teacher as well…and there was Mia, a stunned teenager trying to make sense of what was going on. "He was a former ranger too, one of the originals," she supplied, gaining a shocked look from Mia, "he had a set up much like this, like he knew something was coming all those years ago." She shrugged, "I think it's like a sixth sense among retiree rangers. You know when something's not right. You may not know when it's coming…or if it's coming at all and you're just being paranoid…but it never hurts to set up a lair just in case," she smiled. Mia looked at Kira with an incredulous expression.

"A lair?! This puts NASA to shame!" She exclaimed.

"It's not that hooked up," Kira chuckled. Mia blinked quirking an eyebrow at her.

"Fine, maybe not, but it's still….big," Mia replied. "Anyway," she said, shaking her head. "You said you're not a power ranger any more. What good is a lair?" Kira shrugged.

"In all honesty, I figured that being a mentor would be better than nothing.. At least I'd be involved and wouldn't feel so helpless if the end of the world occurred." She replied.

"Okay, but who would you be mentoring?" Mia asked. Kira gave her a look that made Mia's eyebrows shoot up. "No way," she said, shaking her head. "No fricken way, you've got the wrong girl." Kira sighed.

"Believe me; I said the same thing originally." Kira commented. Mia sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm not an evil freakazoid fighter," she insisted. Kira chuckled.

"From what I saw before, you could be," she said. Mia sighed and thought for a moment.

"Just for the sake of not wasting time….there's no way to convince you otherwise, is there?" She asked. Kira smiled and shook her head. Mia groaned. "Well, guess there's no point in arguing then," she said. Kira grinned.

"Good." She replied. Mia opened her mouth to say something when the sound of her cell phone ringing came from her bag. Mia sighed and fished the phone out of her bag and read the display before groaning and hitting the button to answer the call.

"Hello?" She said.

"I thought you said you were going to call me," came Andy's very perturbed voice. Mia rolled her eyes.

"And, when I promised to call you later…..I sort of meant a little later then just half an hour later," she said in an annoyed tone. Andy sighed.

"Haven't you heard the news Mi? There was a huge explosion at the school right after we said goodbye. How would it look to your mom and dad if you died when I was supposed to be driving you home?" He questioned. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Well, Andy I'm obviously not dead, seeing as we're talking on the phone right now," Mia replied.

"Were you hurt or anything?" Andy asked. "I mean……whatever happened, it happened right after I left, so you must've seen something, right?" Mia was quiet for a second. She and Andy had been friends for as long as she could remember. He was like another brother to her and she told him everything. Well, almost everything. At a young age she swore not to tell anyone about her ability outside her family….Which of course was now null in void since her high school teacher knew, but that wasn't the point. She always swore to herself that her powers would be the only thing she wasn't entirely forthcoming to him about. And now, she found herself having to go back on that personal oath. "Mia?" Andy asked, cutting through her thoughts.

"No, Andy, I went the other direction after you drove off. I wasn't anywhere near the footbridge." Andy was quiet for a moment.

"I never said anything about the footbridge," he said, his tone suspicious. Mia's eyes widened. 'Fuck!' she mouthed, which caused Kira to give her an odd look.

"Uh, what do you mean?" Mia squeaked out, unsure how else to reply to Andy. There was silence on the other end of the phone for a minute.

"Mia where are you?" Andy demanded.

"Pfft," Mia quickly scoffed, trying to hide the nervous churning she was feeling in the pit of her stomach, "home, where else would I be?"

"Well I'm not really sure." He countered. "As I'm sitting in your driveway and have been for the past 20 minutes and you've yet to come home." He replied. Mia shot Kira a panicked look, which only increased Kira's confusion as she had no idea what was going on.

"Yo…you're sitting where now?" Mia sputtered.

"In your driveway," Andy replied slowly.

"Why?" Mia questioned. Andy sighed.

"I was worried about you so I figured I'd come by and see how you were doing," he said. "Now, how about you try telling me where you are?" Mia's mind was now going a mile a minute as she tried to think of what to say.

"At my new boyfriend's house," she blurted out.

"Your what's where?" Andy replied, shocked. "Since when do you have a boyfriend, and why is this the first time I'm hearing about this?"

"I'm not required to tell you every thing, Andrew," Mia said coolly, hoping he'd let it go. Andy was shocked. Mia had never kept a secret from him before, so why would she start now.

"That's harsh Mi...Really harsh." He replied, hurt creeping into his voice. Mia closed her eyes and covered the mouth piece of her phone.

"Oh god, oh god," she muttered, wanting to kick herself.

"What's wrong?" Kira asked. Mia gave her an incredulous look.

"This!" She said, waving her phone. "This is what's wrong, Andy's my best friend," she fretted.

"And let me guess...He doesn't know what I know?" Kira ventured. Mia nodded frantically.

"And now he's upset because I'm lying to him! I NEVER lie to Andy!" She replied. Kira sighed and held her hand out.

"Give me the phone," she said. Mia gave her a surprised look. "Just hand it over," she said. Mia slowly gave her the phone.

"……and another thing, I-" Kira heard Andy's angry voice over the phone, indicating that while Mia had started freaking out, he had gone into some sort of rant.

"Andy?" Kira said, trying to break through his stream of words. Andy quickly shut up.

"Ms. Ford?" Andy asked, a little shocked to hear their teacher's voice on Mia's phone.

"Yes, Andy, it's me," Kira said. "Listen, I'm sorry for holding Mia up. I just needed some help sorting some paper work and Mia volunteered to help," she chuckled a bit, "I guess she was a little embarrassed to admit she was helping out a teacher on the first day of summer vacation."

Andy was quiet for a minute.

"Yeah I guess so." He replied, forcing out a laugh. "Well hey, where are you guys? I mean, whatever paper work needs sorting, I'm sure you guys could use an extra pair of hands to help out." Kira frowned and looked at Mia as she carefully covered the mouth piece of the phone.

"He doesn't give up, does he?" She inquired. Mia made an apologetic face.

"Why do you think I never lie to him?" She asked.

"Actually no." Kira replied, taking her hand off the mouthpiece. "We're just finishing up... But thanks for the offer Andy."

"There is no paper work, is there?" Andy said in a knowing tone. Kira sighed and pulled the phone away from her ear, looking down at the device for a moment before promptly hitting a button to end the call.

"Well, that takes care of that," Kira said. Mia looked at Kira.

"Y'do realize he'll just call back right? We've tipped him off now." Mia commented. As if to accentuate her point, the phone began to ring in Kira's hand.

"How do you shut it off?" Kira asked. Mia sighed and took the phone from her, pressing a button on the side of it to shut off the device. Once the ringing had stopped, she sighed.

"And now, I'll have 100 angry voice mail messages to look forward to later," Mia said in a false upbeat tone. Kira looked at her.

"It's better than having to deal with it right now." She replied. "Though, I'm curious, if you two are so close, how come he doesn't know about your ability?" Mia sighed again.

"Well, when we first became friends I was afraid he'd think I was some sort of freak if I told him……and after that, so much time had passed, I was afraid he'd be pissed for not telling him sooner."

"Sort of a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation," Kira observed.

"Pretty much," Mia replied. Kira pursed her lips and thought for a minute.

"Maybe it would be best to tell him." She mused out loud. Mia looked at her.

"Maybe when hell freezes over... Now what about calling those friends of yours?" Kira looked at her. "If this baddie is as bad as she seems, I'm kind of thinking they should be in the know, don't you think?" Kira nodded. She knew that Mia was right, but at the same time it meant calling them... As much as she wanted to, she had a feeling that they'd all be in Destruction Bay within hours to try and help out. While the thought was nice, she also knew that they were all leading their own lives, and it wasn't fair to make them leave. "Well?" Mia asked expectantly. Kira looked at her.

"A bit impatient, aren't you?" Kira said. Mia grinned.

"Its one of my finer qualities yes." She replied.

"I'm not calling them now," she said, rolling her eyes. "It's the middle of the day, they're probably all still at work."

"Then leave a message," Mia countered. Kira snorted.

"Oh yes, that's a phone message everyone wants to hear when they get home from a tiring day of work, 'there's a new psycho in town, retired ranger team assemble'," she shook her head.

"You're stalling," Mia said. Kira looked at her. Mia had read her like a book.

"No, I'm not." She replied. Mia looked at her.

"I get it okay; you really don't want to tell them. But you have to. Unfortunailty, you and I can't handle that bitch on our own."

"Well, I don't know how much help a software designer, a high school science teacher, a gallery owner and a soccer coach-slash-gym teacher can be," Kira replied honestly.

"Probably a bit more help than just a high school English and music teacher and a seventeen year old high school student," Mia said with a shrug. Kira sighed.

"Fine." She replied turning around and heading towards a medium sized desk on the far side of the room. On the desk sat a cordless phone in its carrier. She sighed and picked up the phone, pressing the button to turn it on before dialing a number by memory and placing it to her ear. After a few rings she heard the pre recorded voicemail message kick in.

"Hi, you've reached Ethan James, I can't get to the phone right now so please leave me a message after the beep and I'll get back to you when I can," Kira sighed and looked at Mia.

"I got his machine," she said. Mia simply shrugged. Kira sighed again as she heard the beep go off in her ear. "Hey Ethan, it's Kira……uh……….well…….something's come up…….and I sort of need you to call me ba-"

"Hey, hey, sorry, I'm here," came Ethan's voice. "Sorry, stupid head hunters from Microsoft have been calling me a lot lately so I've been screening my calls," he explained. Kira chuckled. She missed Ethan, a lot.

"I can understand that... How are you?" She questioned.

"I'm all right," he said. "Shelly took EJ and Amelia out to the park, so I'm just hanging around doing some work here at the house," he said, referring to his wife and five year old twins. "How about you?" He asked.

"I'm good... Summer vacation started today, and it's been eventful to say the least." She replied.

"Oh?" Ethan asked casually. "What, some dashing graduating senior made a pass at you or something?" He teased. Kira forced out a chuckle.

"No...Something a lot more drastic." She replied somberly. Ethan was quiet for a moment, obviously whatever teasing grin he had on had disappeared.

"I see," Ethan said after a while. "I've been kind of wondering when this call would come," he muttered. "I was actually expecting it to be from Dr. O though." Kira sighed.

"To be honest, I thought that it might have been too... But it happened here, today... She tried to kill me and one of my students." Kira replied.

"I never quite understood how it turned out you and Conner were bit by the teaching bug," Ethan joked, trying to lighten the mood. He sighed. "Are you okay?" He asked. Kira sighed.

"Yeah, we're both fine... Shaken, but alive." She replied.

"That's good," he said. He paused. "So, I'm assuming you're channeling Dr. Oliver and this student of yours knows everything and is most likely standing right by you while we're talking," Ethan said in a sure tone. Kira chuckled.

"You know me so well, Ethe," Kira said.

"Well, I am the genius of our crew," he said. "All right, so tell me a little about this new evil friend of ours."

"She's vicious, that's for sure." Kira replied. "She seems hell-bent on destroying anyone who will get in her way."

"Aren't they always?" Ethan said.

"She seemed to know about us," Kira informed. "She called me the legendary Kira Ford," she said. Ethan chuckled.

"Well you did save the world once more than the rest of us did... Sans Dr. O of course... Then again nobody could hold a candle to him." Ethan laughed.

"Yeah, I guess you've got a point," Kira said. "Anyway, my new buddy here suggested I give you guys all the head's up……..cause……..well……that last time was just a one time thing, I don't have my powers anymore, so we're pretty much up the creek with no paddle…….and we need help."

"That might not be the case," Ethan mused gently.

"What part?" Kira asked.

"Being up a creek," he said. "I told you, ranger sixth sense kicked in and I've been expecting this call, so I figured it might be a good idea to look into power sources, just in case." Kira laughed.

"I always knew you'd do something like that." She replied. Ethan chuckled. "All right, so spill," Kira said expectantly. Ethan chuckled.

"Basically, this new source runs off coins... Do you remember the coin that Tori had on her morpher?" He questioned.

"Uh, yeah," Kira said after a moment, thinking back to when she fought alongside the Overdrive rangers, the last time she saw Tori.

"Well it's very similar to that. All the power will be in that tiny coin." He replied.

"How many?" Kira asked.

"Five," he responded, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "one for each of us, of course," he said, a 'duh' hanging in the air. Kira went silent for a while. Finally, after a few minute she spoke.

"I can't ask you to do that." She replied softly.

"You didn't ask," Ethan replied.

"Yeah, but what about Shelly and the kids?" Ethan was quiet for a long moment.

"Good point," he muttered. Kira sighed before shooting a glance at Mia. She covered the mouthpiece of the phone for a moment before speaking.

"This is why I didn't want to call them." She hissed before going back to Ethan. "Ethe...You guys have lives now... You can't just pick up and leave because some psychotic bitch has decided to try and take over the world." She replied.

"Guess we all really have grown up. Fighting freaks wasn't a problem when we were in high school," Ethan sighed. "Now we've got career and families getting in the way," he joked before pausing. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to…" He quickly apologized. Not everyone had families to worry about and he was afraid what he had just said seemed like a jab at Kira. Kira chuckled.

"I knew what you were getting at Ethe...And like I said, I can't ask you guys to do that... We'll just have to figure something out." She sighed.

"Well hang on," Ethan quickly jumped in, taking note of Kira's tone. "You don't actually think we're all going to just say 'good luck and god speed' and leave it at that, do you?" He said.

"Well, I-" Kira began, only to be cut off by Ethan.

"I really hope you don't think I'm sending you these coins through the mail," he chuckled. Kira couldn't help chuckle at that.

"No, I suppose the U.S. postal service wouldn't be a great way to get those babies to me," she said. "So, what are you suggesting?" She asked.

"A little reunion in your neck of the woods," Ethan said, the smile evident in his tone. "You're going to need help setting up whatever you're going to do. It's a good thing summer's starting, I don't see why Conner and Dr. Oliver can't get away from Reefside for a few days, and I'm sure Trent can have one of his fellow pretentious New York artists look after the gallery, and I can just call in some of those sick days I've been stocking up on." Kira blinked.

"Whoa, wait, okay I can get you coming out here…….but getting the whole gang together might be a little dodgy."

"Unless she's got super radar, I'm sure we can dodge this evil chick for a bit." He replied. Kira sighed.

"I just don't think it's-"

"Kira," Ethan cut in with a no nonsense tone. "The four of us will be there to help you out whether you like it or not, so why don't you just save us both the trouble of having this back and forth and stop arguing." Kira pouted.

"I wasn't arguing, I was reasoning," she said. Ethan laughed.

"Well, reason all you want, you're still going to have four house guests by week's end," he said.

Kira chuckled. She knew that there was no point trying to argue anymore with Ethan.

"Fine." She replied. "Do I call the rest of them or are you going to do that?"

"I can call Trent and Dr. Oliver," Ethan said. Kira's eyes narrowed.

"Ethan," she said in a low warning tone, she knew exactly what Ethan was trying to pull.

"Huh, guess that leaves you to call Conner," Ethan said, she could just hear the wide grin he was wearing as he spoke with his innocent tone.

"I hate you... And you're so getting it when you get here." She replied grumpily. She paused as an idea struck her. "Well hey, since Conner and Dr. Oliver are practically neighbors these days, we could just have Dr. O tell Conner," she said brightly.

"Not if I tell Dr. Oliver not to tell Conner because you're going to tell Conner yourself…..along with perhaps some other little tidbits of information that are long overdue……such as….oh I don't know your undying love for our dear friend?"

"Ethan!" Kira growled, causing Mia to jump back a bit. Ethan laughed.

"Oh come on Kir... You've been keeping this a secret for way too long." He commented. Kira sighed.

"Ethan, I really don't think now's the time to discuss that," she said lowly.

"You're right," Ethan replied. "The time to discuss that, with Conner, was ten years ago."

"Drop it," Kira warned.

"Why Kira?" He questioned. "You've had so many opportunities to tell him, and each time you let it just slip by you...If you've been waiting for the right moment, they've all been there for you! Laid out on a silver platter and you keep letting them slide past you! What are you afraid of?" Ethan questioned. Kira sighed and cast a look at Mia. Regardless of what had happened that day, Mia was still her student and it made Kira uncomfortable to have her student listening into this conversation.

"Mia, why don't you go on upstairs to the kitchen and get yourself something to eat?" She suggested. Mia smirked.

"That's okay, I'm not hungry. Besides, whatever it is you and your friend are talking about sure sounds interesting," she said. She could only hear Kira's side of the conversation but could tell whatever topic they were on now was something that rattled her teacher's cage a bit, and she was quite intrigued.

"Is that the student you mentioned earlier?" Ethan asked, having had overheard what Mia said. "I like her," he laughed. Kira rolled her eyes.

"You would." She commented to Ethan before looking at Mia again. "Please Mia... This is a conversation that I really need to have in private." Mia sighed.

"Oh all right," she said before turning around and leaving the room. Once Kira was sure she was gone, she heaved a heavy sigh and returned to her conversation with Ethan.

"All right, Ethe, if we have to talk about this, fine. Now, I'm not afraid of anything, but as far as those silver platter right moments that I let slip by that you mentioned…now which exactly do you mean specifically? Do you mean the right moment I had when he was mooning over Krista? The one where he was then dating Krista? The one right after he and Krista broke up and he was in no state to even hear anything I had to say and more so needed support? The one where he started dating that girl who lived down the hall from him in his dorm or the Swiss exchange student he met in Philosophy class, or that flight attendant he met when he took that semester off to back pack through Europe, or-"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Ethan sighed. "Con's little black book has never exactly been empty. But did it ever occur to you that maybe the reason he goes through enough women to put Hugh Hefner to shame is because he's never found the right one? Oh, and FYI, when I say the right one, I mean YOU!" Kira sighed.

"I really have no idea where you get your information from Ethan... Conner has never had any feelings for me other than friendship." She replied.

"And how do you know that?" Ethan asked.

"Well, he would've said something if he did," Kira reasoned.

"Oh, like you've said something to him?" Ethan countered.

"What's the point in saying anything if you know the person isn't going to say what you want to hear back?" She questioned as she took a seat on the desk.

"You don't know that he won't say it back," Ethan sighed. This had been an argument he'd had with Kira countless amounts of times during their friendship and if it weren't for the fact that he adored her as a dear friend, he'd be rolling his eyes and telling her off out of sheer exasperation.

"Well, if he does feel the same, he's done a great job of hiding it with Krista, Laura, Heidi, Carla, Lorraine, Betsy, Delilah, Zoë, Monica, Shauna, Min, Allison, Kathy, Nadine-"

"Trent, Darrin, Adam…..which, by the way, have I mentioned lately how creepy that one was?...and Christopher," Ethan cut in. "You sure did a good job at hiding your feelings with them too, huh?" Kira sighed.

"Why are you doing this Ethan?" She questioned.

"Because," Ethan began as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You're my friend, as is Conner, and I want nothing more in this world than to see my friends happy and I honestly do believe they'd be happy together. Kira sighed.

"I'll think about it...alright?" She questioned. Ethan sighed.

"All right," he said. "How about I call Dr. Oliver and Conner and you call Trent, then?" He figured he'd go a little easy on her. Kira smiled.

"Thanks, Ethe," she said.

"You owe me huge." He replied. Kira chuckled.

"That I do." She replied. Ethan cleared his throat before speaking.

"So how are we doing this? Are you coming to pick us up at the airport, or am I driving everyone in?" He questioned, having been to her house about six months prior.

"Well, I guess it depends on whether you want to drive or if you'd rather fly," Kira said. "I'll most likely have to pick up Trent at the airport anyway, since I don't think he'd stop over in Reefside or Turtle Cove to meet up with you guys when he can just fly directly here."

"Very true." Ethan replied. "I guess it also depends on how much you want to shock our wonderful friends... They haven't seen you since you dyed your hair and started wearing 'teacher' clothing." he joked. Kira chuckled and idly touched a strand of her dark brown hair that was over her shoulder.

"I doubt it'll be that shocking," she said. "Besides, what do you mean, teacher clothing?" She frowned. Ethan chuckled.

"I remember when I came up there last... Instead of your former attire, you were wearing grey slacks that had been ironed, and a very fancy teacher style blouse...The guys won't be used to that." He replied.

"Ethan, I'm nearly thirty years old. I doubt the guys actually expect me to still be sporting fishnet arm warmers and all the other rocker gear I used to wear," she said.

"Geez quit making yourself sound so old. We're only 28," Ethan chuckled. Kira sighed.

"I know... But I'm trying to tell you that none of us are the same anymore." She replied. "I think you are the shining example of that, Mr. Dad," she said. Ethan chuckled.

"So what?" He joked.

"I'm just saying, we're all grown ups now, some change is expected," she said.

"All right, whatever," Ethan said. "Well, I better go ahead and call our Reefside buds before Shell and the kids get back, don't know what I'd say to her if she overheard anything," he said.

"You mean you wouldn't tell her the truth yet you want me to tell Conner?" She kidded. She could practically hear him rolling his eyes.

"K, me telling my wife that I used to run around in blue spandex and fight evil creatures….huge…….you telling the love of your life that he is, well, the love of your life, not so huge. Let's try to keep things in perspective, eh?" Kira laughed.

"Alright, I can do that." She replied. "Give me a call back when you figure out what's going on with when you guys are getting here." She commented.

"Will do," he said. "And I'll make sure to send Conner your love," he teased.

"Funny," Kira said dryly. Ethan simply chuckled before the two bid their farewells and she hung up before dialing Trent's number.

--

Upstairs, Mia sat in Kira's kitchen, staring at her phone. Out of curiosity, she turned it back on and saw her screen light up telling her she had new voice mail. She sighed and dialed in to check it.

"You have fifteen new messages," gave the pleasant automated voice.

"Fifteen?" Mia muttered, shocked.

"First new message," the voice continued.

"……..You did not just hang up on me……I cannot believe you just hung up on me!" Andy's voice yelled.

"Second new message," the voice stated.

"Here I am, sitting in your driveway for twenty minutes because I'm such a good friend, and what do you do? You lie to me, and then have the nerve to hang up on me!" Andy's voice continued. Mia pulled the phone away from her ear and shook her head before deleting messages one through fourteen.

"Maybe he has something intelligent to say on the last one." She grumbled.

"Last new message," the automated voice said. Mia sat back as she heard Andy heave a heavy sigh in her ear.

"Mia, okay I'm sorry for getting all frantic on you here but……..I know something's going on, and I'm worried. I know you'd never deliberately keep something from me like this, so whatever this is it's got to be pretty huge and that's what worries me. You've never lied to me before, and I'm racking my brain to try and figure out why the hell you'd start now." Mia closed her eyes at the hurt she could hear in his tone. She heard him sigh again. "Just call me back, okay?"

"End of messages," the automated voice concluded. Mia sighed and ended the call before hitting #1 on her speed dial and bringing the phone back to her ear.

"Was wondering when you'd call," came the greeting after a few rings. Mia sighed.

"Andy, I'm so sorry," she nearly sobbed out.

"Woah woah woah... Don't cry hun." He replied with worry in his voice. Mia's voice hitched as she felt all the stress from the day finally crash down on her.

"I should've just ridden home with you, I was such an idiot," she babbled.

"It's okay, whatever it is, it's okay," Andy soothed. Mia sighed.

"No, it's really not." She replied.

"Okay, why don't you just tell good old Andy what's on your mind. Whatever it is, I'll help you sort it out," he told her gently. Mia nodded.

"Okay," she squeaked out, holding in a sob. "But…..not over the phone…….we need to meet up."

"All right, tell me where you are and I'll come get you," Andy said.

"No," Mia insisted. She wanted to get out of Kira's house. Before she was too shocked to really react at how scary all of this was but it was now there in her mind and she wanted to leave. "I…..let's just meet half way, all right? I'm not too far from the beach."

"Yeah of course. I'll meet you at the beach in 15?" He asked.

"Make it ten and there's an ice cream cone in it for you," Mia joked gently. Andy laughed.

"Hmm, obey speed limits or ice cream cone…….obey speed limits or ice cream cone……." He muttered. "I'll see you in ten," he said. Mia smiled.

"Thanks, And," she said softly.

"Anytime Mimi." He replied before hanging up. Mia shut off her phone and shoved it in her bag before getting up. She quickly walked to the door to the basement and poked her head in, to see if there was any chance that Kira was coming up.

"….Yeah, Trent, the chick was scary," she heard Kira's voice echo from the lair. Mia gave a grateful sigh at the fact that she was preoccupied with her phone conversation to wonder about her whereabouts. She quickly made her way to the front door and carefully opened it, making sure to make no sound that could alert her teacher. Mia slowly closed the door behind her and then hurried off in the direction of the beach. She soon made the half of mile trek to the beach and scanned the parking lot for Andy's car. It wasn't there yet so she figured to just wait for him on the beach. She walked out onto the sand and sat down a few feet away from the shoreline as she waited for him to arrive. She only waited a few minutes before she heard a car door slam and footsteps behind her. After a moment, Andy sat down next to her.

"K, I'm here with time to spare," Andy said, smiling gently, "where's that ice cream cone?" Mia turned her head and smiled at him. She moved over slightly so that she was closer to him and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Uh oh," Andy said, putting an arm around her, "the head on the shoulder….this must be huge," he said. Mia sighed.

"Andy….you know what you said about me never deliberately keeping something from you?" She asked. "Well, that's not…entirely true."

"Hey, it's okay. I get it," he said. Mia lifted her head a bit and gave him a questioning look.

"Get what?" She asked. Andy shrugged.

"I mean……Kinda confused why you were hesitant to tell me though," he said. "I mean, hello, I came out to you so what makes you think I'd be less than understanding if you did the same."

"Huh?" Mia asked, thoroughly confused.

"Though….Ms. Ford? I mean….I guess she's pretty but….babe, you've got to be careful when it comes to that. I mean, suppose someone found out? Can you say Mary Kay Letourneau……only…okay, a bit saucier," he kidded, giving her a wink.

"Andy, what the hell are you talking about?" Mia asked.

"You coming out as a lesbian of course." He replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Mia sat up straight.

"Me doing what as a huh now?" She sputtered out. Andy gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"Hey, its okay hon, I'm here for you," he said.

"You're insane." She commented as she shook her head. "I'm not a lesbian."

"Mi, its okay, be proud of it," he said. Mia gave him a hard look.

"Andy, listen to me carefully," she said, "I. Am. Not. A. Lesbian. Do you understand me?" She said. Andy met her gaze for a long moment before heaving out a long relieved sigh.

"Oh thank god, was getting a little worried there. I mean….not that I wouldn't be supportive if you were…but checking out people on the boardwalk just wouldn't be the same any more. I mean, I wouldn't be able to provide my two cents on your picks, you wouldn't be able to comment on mine…it'd be like we're from two different planets." Mia shook her head, laughing.

"Andy, you're such a weirdo." Andy grinned.

"Gotta do what ya gotta do!" he replied. "All right, so……if that's not why you were with Ms. Ford……then why were you? And don't give me the line about helping her with paper work," he said. Mia sighed.

"It's a long story….Just….I need to tell you something else first….Something I should've told you years ago." Andy gave her an odd look.

"You're not going to tell me you're in love with me, are you? Cause…well…honey, though I love you….it's not like that….You're kind of missing an important body part for-"

"Andy!" Mia groaned. "Just shut up and listen, will you?" Andy's mouth slowly closed and he nodded. "Thank you," she sighed. She took a deep breath as she tried to figure out how to tell him her deepest secret, the only secret she'd ever kept from him. "I……I'm not exactly what you'd call normal," she said.

"Well, yeah, but neither am I. That's why we get along so great," Andy smiled. Mia gave him a look. "Oh, whoops, sorry, shutting back up now."

"What I mean is…..I'm really not normal. And I don't just mean in a quirky original kind of way." Andy sat back and waited for her to continue. "I….have special powers," she hesitantly said after a long pause. Andy's eyebrows shot up.

"What?" He breathed out, shocked beyond compare. Mia nodded.

"Yeah... I guess it might be easier for me to show you." She commented. She looked around them until she saw an abandoned beach ball on the sand a few feet away from them. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Suddenly, the formerly calm breeze around them turned into a rough wind that picked up the beach ball and made it dance in the air. The wind blew the ball all over the place until it finally dropped the object in the crashing waves. She opened her eyes and looked at the beach ball floating amidst the tide. "See?" She asked. Just a second after she said that, the tide, which had been receding, suddenly changed direction and moved forward carrying the beach ball in a wave. Mia watched as the tide rolled in closer and closer to them, deeper into the beach than it had been before until it finally came down about a foot away from them, leaving the beach ball right back on the sand where Mia had found it. "…What the?" She muttered.

"…..Surprise," came a meek voice beside her. Her head slowly turned as she looked at Andy.

"Guess I'm not the only one who was hiding something." She mused. Andy looked down.

"I'm sorry Mi, I wanted to tell you, I really did, I was just-"

"Scared I'd think you were a freak of nature?" She provided. Andy nodded. "Yeah, ditto," she said. Andy chuckled.

"Man, I knew we had stuff in common but…….this just takes the cake," he said. He looked at her. "Though, kind of surprised you never caught onto my secret," he said.

"What do you mean?" Mia asked. Andy smiled.

"All the times you've watched me surf…….it never occurred to you to question why sometimes, even on the calmest of days…..I still somehow would managed to find myself the killer waves…..killer waves that were nonexistent before?" Mia chuckled, shaking her head.

"I always thought it was just…….I don't know……surfer's luck?" She said with a shrug. Andy snorted.

"Man, I wish." He replied. "Does anyone else know?" He asked.

"Just my family," Mia replied, "……well, and Ms. Ford, now," she added. Andy looked at her.

"Just how exactly did that one come out?" he asked. Mia sighed.

"After you drove off, I got on the footbridge-"

"So you were there," Andy mused.

"I got on the footbridge," Mia continued, unfazed, "and I saw Ms. Ford…….she looked weird, like…..freaked out almost. So I went over to figure out what was wrong. Next thing I know, she's telling me to run, the sky gets a bit darker, we make it like barely a foot off the bridge when it's blown to smithereens."

"Were you hurt?" Andy asked, worriedly. Mia shook her head.

"So, we go to run to her car……..and then that's blown to bits too." Andy looked at her.

"Seems like you two have the greatest of luck." He said. "So…was there a reason for all these things blowing up or did you guys just break a lot of mirrors lately?"

"There was this woman…..she looked like she missed the exit to the nearest goth ball or something."

"Talking about me, are you?" Said a voice. Both Mia and Andy spun around. There, elegantly poised just liked Mia had seen her before, stood Vengakix.

"Shit," Mia said, scrambling up to her feet and pulling Andy up along with her.

"Who's the freak?" He questioned. Vengakix narrowed her eyes at him.

"And, meet Vega-whatever-the-hell-her-name-is-pain-in-my-ass," Mia said, watching the woman with a wary gaze, ready to hit her with a gust of wind again if need be. "Vega-whatever-the-hell-your-name-is-pain-in-my-ass, meet Andy." Vengakix looked at Mia.

"Do you really think I care if you pathetic humans have names?" She questioned.

"Figured I'd be polite and do the proper introductions," Mia smirked.

"It won't matter when I kill you both... Tell me, where can I find that foolish teacher of yours?" She demanded. Mia shrugged.

"Beats me, we went our separate ways after I knocked you on your ass," Mia replied. Once again, in a flash, Vengakix was before Mia and before Mia could make a move or say a word, the villainess's perfectly manicured hand gripped Mia's neck, lifting the girl a few inches off the ground.

"You're lying," she hissed.

"Mi!" Andy went to grab Vengakix's shoulder to pull her away but Vengakix simply swatted him with her free hand, as if shooing away a common house fly, the force of the hid sent him sprawling back at least two feet. He crashed to the ground, slightly dazed. He shook his head and watched as Vengakix threatened to crush Mia's neck.

"I don't think so." He muttered, climbing to his feet. He drew his arms to the side of his body and closed his eyes for a moment. After a few seconds, he trusted his arms outwards and a blast of water shot out of his palms. The stream of water hit Vengakix directly in her side, slamming her into the side of the rocky cliff that overlooked the beach and making her lose her grip on Mia's neck, who stumbled down to the sand in a gasping and coughing heap. Andy quickly ran over to her and pulled her up to her feet. "You okay?" He asked. Mia simply nodded.

"We gotta go, now," she choked out. Andy nodded as they took off running to the parking lot. They soon made it to Andy's car.

"Go, go, go, get in!" Andy said frantically as he went to open the driver's side door while Mia went around to the passenger side. The two tore open the respective doors and jumped in the car, pulling the doors shut and locking them. "We've got to go to the police or something," Andy muttered as he started up the car and sped away.

"Andy, the cops aren't going to be able to help us with that, I don't think," Mia replied, casting careful looks at the rearview mirror to ensure they weren't being followed.

"Then where the hell are we supposed to go!?" He cried.

"Ms. Ford's house," Mia replied.

"Okay, Mi, if the cops can't help us, what the hell makes you think our English teacher can?!" Mia sighed as she ran her hands over her face.

"She's a former power ranger." Mia nearly slammed into the dashboard when Andy's foot slammed onto the brakes.

"She's a what?!" He asked, turning to her with wide eyes.

"Andy! Keep driving!" She commanded. Andy relaxed for a moment before hitting the gas again. Mia sighed. "She's a former power ranger." She stated again. Andy shook his head.

"This is starting to get a little too crazy, even for me, babe," Andy muttered.

"Just keep driving and stay calm and there'll be an ice cream cone in it for you," Mia said. Andy chuckled and shook his head.

"All right, well, you need to navigate for me." Mia smiled.

"Turn left here and then go straight until you get to a house."

"A house? Can't you be a bit more specific? There could be tons of houses this way," Andy said as he turned the wheel.

"Trust me, there aren't," Mia chuckled.

"Right. I simply forgot that our English teacher is Batman and lives in the middle of nowhere." He muttered. Mia snorted.

"You're not too wrong there," she muttered. Andy shook his head and kept driving, sure enough they came to Kira's house……..and there was Kira, standing the porch.

"She looks pissed," Andy observed.

"Well I kinda took off without telling her..." Mia trailed off.

"Since when is Ms. Ford your mom?" Andy replied.

"You two, get out of the car, now," Kira's voice commanded.

"…Why's she pissed at me? What'd I do?" Andy hissed. Mia shrugged.

"Did you not hand it some homework this past semester or something?" She teased as she climbed out of the car. Andy snorted.

"Is duh a suitable answer?" He questioned. He sighed and got out of the car before looking up at Kira. "Hello Ms. Ford, so nice to see you," he said casually.

"Shut the hell up Andy." She snapped. Andy's eyes widened and he took a step back before looking at Mia.

"Dude, Ms. Ford just yelled at me….Ms. Ford never yells at anyone…."

"Ms. Ford is extremely pissed at your best friend." She replied before looking at Mia. "What were you thinking Mia? You could have been killed!" She exclaimed.

"Ah, no worries there, good old Andy was on hand to save the day," Andy said, puffing out his chest. Mia threw a glare his way.

"Shut up," she hissed. The last thing she needed was for Kira to know they had had an encounter with Vengakix. There was no part of Mia that wanted to hear 'I told you so' from her teacher. Kira turned and looked at Andy.

"What are you talking about?" She questioned.

"I saved her from Vega-whatever-the-hell-her-name-is-pain-in-Mia's-ass," Andy replied, his ego still up. He had saved his best friend from some murderous weirdo; he felt like a superhero and was posturing as such.

"And, shut it," Mia hissed again. Kira sighed.

"So she found you then." She commented out loud. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Thanks ever so much, Andy," Mia said before looking at Kira. "Yes, she found me, fine you were right, happy?" Kira was silent for a minute.

"Get in the house." She commented, all traces of anger gone. Mia sighed and made her way toward the porch.

"All right, uh, Mi, I'm just going to go…..don't worry if your parents call looking for you, I'll tell them you're with me," he said. Mia looked back at him before chortling a bit.

"Uh, where do you think you're going?" She asked. Andy gave her a perplexed look before shrugging.

"Home, why?" He said. Mia shook her head before taking a few steps towards him.

"The chick exhibited murderous intent to me, and I just knocked her into a bush. What do you think she has in mind for the guy who practically water hosed her into a wall of rocks?" She asked. Kira's head spun to the side and looked at Andy.

"You have powers too?" She questioned. Andy's mouth fell open for a moment before his eyes narrowed at his dear friend.

"Blabber mouth," he muttered.

"Consider it payback," Mia replied. Kira slowly approached Andy.

"Water?" She questioned. Andy sighed before nodding slowly. She looked at Mia. "And wind," she muttered.

"Heh, yeah now we just need earth, fire and heart and we can call on Captain Planet to deal with that crazy bitch," Andy joked.

Kira rolled her eyes.

"Ok, both of you in the house...Now please." She commented. Mia and Andy slowly nodded and made their way to the house.

"Hey, didn't they have rings for that?" Mia questioned as the two of them walked up on the porch. Andy shrugged.

"We're too cool for rings, I guess," he said. Kira rolled her eyes as she followed them inside. Once the three were inside, Kira shut and locked the front door.

"Mia, take Andy downstairs...I'll be there in a minute." She commented. Mia sighed.

"Yes master," she said, rolling her eyes. "Come on And, I'll show you the bat cave," she said as she went towards the basement with Andy following behind her.

"Master, eh?" Andy teased. "Sure you two aren't-Oomph!" Andy's ribbing was cut off by Mia elbowing him in the gut. "Owww Mi! That hurt." He whined.

"Oh don't be such a baby," Mia said as the two disappeared down the basement. Kira sighed.

"What the hell have I gotten myself into," she muttered to herself.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Hey guys, here's chapter two of our latest project. And for those of you who were unsure, yes the Adam Ethan mentioned in the previous chapter was Adam Park.

--

"Holy mother of god," Andy breathed out the second Mia brought him down to the basement. Mia looked over at her friend.

"I know, pretty epic, huh?" She asked.

"Epic doesn't even describe it." He replied. Mia nodded.

"That pretty much sums up this whole day," she said. "I mean, one minute I want to invest in little Christian, Mr. Harris and Josh voodoo dolls to make into pin cushions…..next minute Vega what's her face is blowing up shit."

"Vengakix," Kira's voice rang out, correcting Mia, as she descended the stairs and joined them in the lair. Mia shrugged her off.

"Whatever." She replied. Andy looked over at their teacher.

"Uh, yeah, what's that chick's deal anyway?" Kira sighed and gave a small shrug.

"She's just another psycho bent on world domination as far as I can see. Beyond that, I have absolutely no clue."

"Oh." Andy replied. "Glad to see she's got her priorities straight?"

"So," Mia cut into the conversation, "what do we do now?"

"We?" Andy asked. "Since when did I become a part of this?" Mia turned to him, giving him the most incredulous look she could muster.

"Since you made a big deal about being lied to, ergo guilting me into telling you the truth, revealing you've got powers just like me, and used said powers on the evil chick," she said, listing off his offences. Andy made a face.

"Yeah….well…."

"We're in this babe, whether we like it or not," she said with a gentle smirk. "So, quit complaining and there'll be an ice cream cone in it for you," she winked. Andy rolled his eyes.

"You always do that when you want me to do something….one of these days I'm going to collect on all those ice cream cones you owe me," he said, pointing a threatening finger at her.

"Buying him an ice cream truck might be cheaper." Kira mused, chuckling a bit. In the three years she'd known the pair, from their first day in her freshman English class, she'd often overhear interactions between them, and Andy was right. Any time Mia wanted something from Andy, she'd end it with "and there'll be an ice cream cone in it for you" and he'd laugh and go along with whatever plan or want his best friend had. Kira herself had never understood it and figured it was something that'd come up in their younger years and had developed into some sort of private joke.

"Fine," Andy said after a while, giving Mia an annoyed look, "so, what do we do now?" He asked, his eyes shifting back to Kira. Kira sighed.

"There's not really much we can do... My other ranger friends should be getting here within the next few days... Just lay low and take it easy." She commented.

"Okay," Andy said slowly, still trying to come to grips that not only was his teacher a former power ranger but was expecting fellow former rangers any day now, "but what do we do after we lay low and take it easy?" Mia leaned into his side a bit.

"Call me crazy, but I think she plans on grooming us into power rangers," she whispered. Andy's eyebrows went up and he cast a look at Kira.

"Fine, but I call the red suit," he said. Mia laughed.

"Hmm, I don't know, I think you'd look so much better in blue. It'd bring out your eyes." Andy rolled his eyes.

"Dude it's not like my eyes will be visible while I'm in the suit so it won't matter if the color brings out my eyes. Besides," he shrugged, "the red ranger's always so cool and macho." Mia snorted.

"So, following that logic, you should be the red ranger because……..?" She teased. Andy threw her a glare before shoving her shoulder lightly which only caused Mia to erupt into a peal of laughter. Kira regarded the two with mixed emotions. On one hand, the adult in her wanted to smack them both upside the head for playing around during such a serious time as this. There was an evil being out there and here they were acting like kids. But on the other hand, she couldn't help watch them with nostalgic eyes as it reminded her of all the times she'd rib the guys. It made her smile gently at the memory and the fact that she'd be seeing them soon, and it put things in perspective. She and the guys acted like kids sometimes…because they were kids. Just like Andy and Mia were.

"No one's calling any of the suits just yet," she finally said with an amused expression on her face. "It doesn't exactly work like that."

"How does it work?" Andy asked. Kira paused as she thought back to when she, Conner and Ethan found the dino gems. It wasn't like the three of them decided "I want this weird looking glowing rock". The individual gems had called out to them. It was more like the gems said "I want this human" and the three of them could do nothing except comply.

"It just doesn't work like that," she said. "If it makes sense…..the powers pick the ranger, not the other way around." Both teenagers stared at her blankly for a moment.

"It doesn't make sense," Andy said. He then shrugged. "But, whatever." Suddenly the sound of Mia's ringing phone cut through the air.

"Who the heck could me calling me," Mia muttered as she fished out her phone, "you're here, who else is there?" She said, her rhetorical question directed to Andy. She looked at the display of her phone to see who it was, and her face instantly fell. "Oh fuck," she muttered.

"What is it?" Andy asked. Mia sighed and flipped open her phone, answering it.

"Hi mom," Mia sighed out. There was a pause as the sound of an angry elevated voice could be overheard by Kira and Andy. Mia cringed as she listened to her mother rant on. "O….Okay mom," Mia said, trying to get a word in edgewise. "Yes……yes I realize Luce needs to…….uh huh…….well I……..Okay……" Mia sighed. "I just…….something's come up and……" Mia jumped and pulled the phone away from her ear as her mother's voice became even louder and angrier. After a few seconds Mia sighed and brought the phone back to her ear, "okay mom, I'll be right there," she said tersely. Mia sighed before shutting off her phone.

"That can't be good," Andy observed. He and Mia had been friends for nearly fifteen years and after all that time, he knew that Mrs. Rodriguez was not a woman to be messed with.

"I forgot, I'm supposed to help out at the diner tonight since smarty pants Lucy needs to work on her valedictorian speech," Mia sighed, referring to her older sister Ana-Lucia who was a grade ahead of herself and Andy and was graduating in a few days. "So, yeah, gotta go," she concluded with a shrug.

"Go?" Kira asked incredulously. "Uh, you do realize the last time you did that Vengakix found you." Mia looked at her.

"Yes, I do realize that," she said. "But what you don't realize is that Vengakix is little Miss Sunshine queen of happy nice fairy land compared to my mom when she's pissed."

"She's got a point on that one," Andy commented.

"Your mother's never seemed that bad to me," Kira said. Mia chuckled.

"Because you've seen her in the context of parent teacher conferences," Mia pointed out. "And you teachers have yet to give her a reason for you to see her when she's pissed," she said. Kira nodded.

"Good point." She replied.

"So, can I go?" Mia said. Kira stood there, looking at her for a moment before finally speaking.

"Okay," she said, though her reluctance to let Mia out of the house and into possible danger could be heard in her tone. She looked at Andy for a moment before looking back at Mia. "But take him with you; you guys should probably stick together just in case anything comes up."

"And this differs from every other day of our lives, how exactly?" Andy muttered to Mia. Kira shot Andy a look.

"I heard that you know." She replied. Mia shook her head.

"He doesn't mean anything by it," she said. "Just that Andy playing my shadow is a normal occurrence anyway, so no big change there." Andy snorted.

"More like you playing my shadow," he said. Kira shook her head.

"All right, all right, you better go," she said. Mia smiled.

"Thanks Ms. Ford...Just give us a call if you need us I guess?" She questioned. Kira nodded.

"See ya," Andy said as he made his way up the stairs. Mia went to follow before pausing and turning back to Kira.

"Ms. Ford," she spoke, catching Kira's attention.

"What is it?" Kira asked. Mia looked down and took a deep breath before looking back at her.

"This thing….I mean, could she really be trouble? I mean I get that yeah she's a baddie and the cavalry needs to step in. I just mean that…could she really cause some damage?" Kira looked at her for a moment before giving her a smile.

"They always do a little damage, but it's nothing the cavalry can't handle," she assured her. "There's been bad guys trying to take over or destroy the world for years and they've never succeeded as long as there's been someone to stop them. This chick isn't anything different." Mia smiled and nodded.

"All right then," she said. "Have a good night Ms. Ford," she said. Kira smiled.

"Mia, I'm not like my science teacher," she said, thinking back to how when she and the others had been rangers they automatically called Tommy by his formal title, Dr. Oliver to the point that even now, ten years later, it was a habit they couldn't break out of no matter how many times he'd remind them that they're no longer his students and could call him Tommy. "If you and Andy are going to be in this, just call me Kira, all right?" She concluded. Mia made a face.

"We'll try, but even with everything you're still our teacher so we can't really call you by your first name. It'd be weird," she said. Kira chuckled.

"Well hey, it's summer; I'm not your teacher now am I?" She said. Mia laughed.

"Good point," she said. "All right, have a good night Kira," she said. Kira smiled.

"You too," she replied. Mia gave her one last nod before jogging up the stairs to join Andy. Kira gave a smile to her retreating figure as she replayed what she'd said to Mia in her mind. As much as she was sure that this new evil could be defeated just like all the evils before, a part of her wondered if she'd just jinxed herself and the others by exhibiting such hubris.

--

Andy pulled his car into the parking lot of the diner before shutting it off and turning to look at Mia.

"So, my guess is, today's adventure has to stay between us right?" He said. Mia nodded.

"My guess is your guess is correct," she sighed. The two were silent for a few minutes. "Besides," Mia commented. "I somehow doubt that anyone would believe us anyways." Andy nodded.

"True," he said. Mia gave him a look.

"Do you regret wanting to know why I was at Ms. Ford's place?" She asked. Andy sighed as he thought about it for a minute.

"I don't know," he replied honestly. "I mean, I guess if I'd just left well enough alone I wouldn't be involved with this, but at the same time," he said, shrugging gently. "I'm glad we can now honestly say there are no secrets between us." Mia smiled. "Do you regret stopping when you saw Ms. Ford on the footbridge?"

"I thought I did before," Mia admitted. "But now….I think I'm almost glad I did it, if that makes sense." The two were interrupted by a knock on the passenger side window. Mia turned to see Lucy standing there, giving her an exasperated look. Mia sighed and went to open the door, forcing her sister to step back.

"It's about time you got here," Lucy said as Mia climbed out the car.

"Hello to you too, Lucy," Mia said as she got up, shutting the door behind her. At the other side of the car, Andy climbed out as well and locked the car up. Lucy rolled her eyes at Mia before looking at Andy.

"Hey Andy," she said briefly before looking back at Mia. "Dad's working on the grill, Frick and Frack are bussing tables," she said referring to their twin older brothers Eduardo and Ricardo, "and Tony and Mom are the only ones waiting tables. Mom's ready to go on the war path, just so you know," she informed. Mia sighed.

"All right, all right, thank you for the rundown, sis," Mia said.

"Whatever." Lucy replied, heading back towards the restaurant.

"Well, she's in a good mood," Andy observed. Mia sighed.

"She's just nervous. She's been on a short fuse ever since she was declared valedictorian," Mia replied. "Come on," she said. Andy nodded as the two walked into the restaurant just to see Lucy stomp up the back stairs that led to the apartment over the establishment where she, Mia and the parents lived.

"Miangela," Mia's mother's voice called the second Mia and Andy walked in. Mrs. Rodriguez set down the plate of fries she'd been carrying and walked over to the two teens. She eyed Andy. "Hmm, I should've known you were with him," she frowned. Andy grinned.

"Hi Mrs. Rodriguez," he said. She rolled her eyes and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You better be staying here for dinner, you're nothing but bones," she said, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "Don't your parents feed you?" Andy smiled.

"They try to, but why would I eat at home when I could have some of the fine cuisine here," he said. Mrs. Rodriguez rolled her eyes,

"Go sit at the booth over there," she ordered before looking at Mia. "And you, go change into your uniform and get to work."

"Yes mother," Mia sighed. Her mother nodded before walking away. Mia looked at Andy and just rolled her eyes. "I'll be back." She told him. Andy nodded and made his way to the small empty booth Mrs. Rodriguez told him to occupy as Mia made her way to get her uniform from upstairs.

"It's in the kitchen," Ricky said as he passed by her with a bin full of plates he'd picked up from tables. Mia looked at him.

"Huh?" She asked.

"Dad had Eddie bring it down so you didn't have to go up when you got here," he informed her. "It's in the kitchen," he repeated. Mia smiled and nodded at her older brother.

"All right, thanks," she said as she made her way to the kitchen and saw her father flipping burger patties on the grill. He looked up at her as she made her way to her uniform that was hanging on the side of the fridge.

"You better hurry," he said, giving her a smile. "You know how your mother gets." Mia nodded and grabbed the uniform before saddling up beside her father and putting her arm around his shoulders before looking up at him with the biggest puppy dogs she could muster. She and Lucy were the girls in the family and were therefore the epitome of "daddy's girls" but since Mia was the youngest she sometimes could get away with a bit more than Lucy when it came to their father.

"Yes, and I know you can work your magic so she's not mad at me," she smiled. Mr. Rodriguez cast a look at his youngest daughter before smiling and shaking his head.

"All right, I suppose with today being the first day of summer vacation, you deserved to have a little fun," he said. "I'll suggest to her that she ease up a bit," he said. Mia smiled and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Thanks daddy," she said before going off to the employee bathroom located in the back to change into her uniform. Mia emerged a few minutes later in her work uniform, finishing up putting her hair up in a high pony tail at the top of her head. The uniform consisted of a standard white button down waitress dress that went down to an inch above her dress with a pale turquoise trim at the collar and cuffs. The outfit could be seen as a fashionable nod to 1950s retro if it weren't for the turquoise embroidery on the right breast pocket that spelled out the establishment's name: "The Twilight Café" and the matching apron that she had to wear tied around her waist. As bad as it was, she was grateful the lettering on her chest read what it did instead of the eatery's previous name, "Roddy's Dinerland". It had been the name of the establishment when Mia's grandfather first opened it when Mia's father was a little boy. The establishment actually had a deep connection to the family since when Mia's father was around her age and working as a bus boy he met and fell in love with a waitress who worked there, Maria Santos, who then became Maria Rodriguez, Mia's mother. After Mia's father inherited the business when her grandparents retired a few years ago, her father made the much desired name change with his father's approval.

"You going to help us out or stand there fixing your hair all night?" Came a voice from the window by her father's grill station. Mia looked over to see her twenty one year old brother Anthony, the eldest and therefore self proclaimed boss amongst the siblings, picking up an order. As much as she loathed her uniform, she had to admit that it was marginally more fashionable than what the boys had to wear—white dress shirt with the restaurant's name on their front breast pocket and white pants with the same turquoise apron she had to wear. Unfortunately for all the children, when their father changed the name he didn't think changing the color scheme.

"I'm coming," she replied.

"Yeah, so's Christmas," he countered.

"Leave your sister alone," Mr. Rodriguez cut in. Mia gave her brother a smug look as he shook his head and went back to work.

"Suck." Anthony commented as she walked past. Mia rolled her eyes and turned towards the window, seeing a few meals were ready to be served.

"Okay, where do these go to?" She asked. Her father smiled before reaching towards the counter and handing her an ordering pad through the window.

"Won't you need this?" He asked. Mia smiled and took the pad from him, along with a pen she saw on the ledge before stuffing them into the pocket of her apron. "They both go to table 12," he said. Mia nodded and picked up both plates and went to turn around, nearly colliding with her mother.

"Careful," she commanded. Mia sighed.

"Sorry, mom," she said. Maria looked at her husband.

"Alex, I need a bacon cheeseburger deluxe for Andrew," she said.

"Geez mom, you're going to fatten Andy up even if it's the last thing you do, huh?" Mia muttered before stepping past her mother to deliver the plates she had in her hands. Maria smiled at her daughter.

"Of course." She replied. Alex chuckled as he began making up the meal for Andy, the couples' fourth son in practically anything but blood since the day he and Mia met in day care when they were toddlers.

"Instead of clogging up the poor boy's arteries, why don't we put him to work? I think Eddie and Ricky could use some help." Maria gave him a scandalized look.

"I can't make him work today. It's his first day of summer vacation, he deserves to kick back and relax."

"And what about Mia?" Alex countered with a loving smile at his wife's logic.

"Mia has responsibilities," Maria countered.

"If you say so, querrida," he said before slapping a meat pattie on the grill. Elsewhere, Mia approached table 12 to see a couple she had seen around school.

"All right, who had the turkey club?" She said. The girl raised her hand gently indicating herself. Mia nodded and carefully placed the plate before her before putting the remaining plate, a tuna melt, before her companion. "Enjoy," she said with a smile before walking off to another table. Not to far from them she saw a booth with a single occupant looking over the menu. His face was covered by the open booklet but she could see his toned and muscular shoulders and arms in his tight red shirt, which were peeking Mia's interest. Mia shook her head, clearing it of any thoughts she was having of the customer. She pulled her ordering pad and pen out of her pocket before approaching the table and standing beside it. "Ready to order?" She asked.

"Hmm not sure yet," came the reply before he lowered the menu. "Anything you can recommend?" She looked up from her pad to be met with Christian's smirking face. Mia's eyes widened slightly and she felt repulsed over the previous thoughts she had.

"For you? Another restaurant," she snapped out.

"Ah, ah, is that any tone to have towards a customer?" He asked, eyeing the nametag that she wore on the left side of her uniform. "Is it, Miangela?" He asked, his smirk only intensifying.

"You're not a customer." She replied. "You're an asshole." Christian chuckled.

"It means my angel, doesn't it?" He asked. Mia rolled her eyes.

"If you're not going to leave, I'll get you another server," she bit out before turning to leave, only to be stopped by Christian grabbing her wrist and pulling her back.

"Your name, it means my angel, right?" He repeated, winking a bit. "So, my angel, shouldn't you be a bit nicer?" Mia snatched her arm away from him with a disgusted look on her face.

"I wouldn't be your anything even if you were the last man on earth," she hissed.

"Hey, is that any thing to say to someone trying to apologize to you?" He said. Mia's eyebrows went up and she stared at him for a moment.

"What?" She asked, taken off guard for a moment. Christian simply smirked. "What are you playing at, Miller?" She asked with a wary tone. Christian put his hands up.

"Nothing, I swear," he said. "Just wanted to give a proper apology for earlier today." Mia was silent for a few moments.

"You sure you didn't bash your head on the ground or something?" She questioned. Christian chuckled.

"I don't recall it, but maybe that just proves your point, huh?" He joked. Mia laughed a bit before catching herself and hiding it behind a cough. "Anyway," he said, his smirk disappearing. "Look I saw how Mr. Harris was being to you and….well, it was wrong. So…yeah, if what I said or did was even a fraction of what he did……I'm sorry," he said sincerely. Mia blinked and tilted her head a bit.

"Thank you." She replied softly. She looked at him for a moment, different thoughts running through her head. A part of her saw him as the jerk that saw no problem antagonizing every and any one who crossed his path. But now, she wasn't so sure if that image was accurate. She blinked again as she realized she'd been staring at him for some time. "Um," she muttered lamely as she tried to get back to business. She quickly looked back down to her ordering pad. "So, uh, what will you be having this evening?" She mumbled. Christian thought for a moment before fixing her with a wolfish grin as his hand touched her arm.

"I don't know," he said. "What if something I want isn't on the menu?" Mia's eyes widened and she quickly looked back up at him. She narrowed her eyes as he was able to quickly destroy whatever less than antagonist image she had of him. With his apology she seemed like a nice guy, pretty decent even. Now she was having a hard time distinguishing the difference between him and Josh and all the boys like him.

"Then I suggest eating somewhere else," she replied. Christian chuckled and pulled his hand off of her.

"Hey, I was just playing around," he said. "What can't take a joke?" Mia just glared at Christian before walking away. Christian watched her stalking away until his attention was diverted by a hand slamming on his table. He looked up to see Andy staring down at him coldly.

"I think you should go," he said. Christian quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Oh really?" He asked. "And what if I don't want to go?" He countered.

"We'll make you," came a new voice. Christian looked over to see Mia's twenty year old twin brothers, Eddie and Ricky standing not to far from them, their arms crossed over their chests as they glared at him. Christian rolled his eyes.

"Fine, I'm leaving." He replied as he stood up, grabbing his leather jacket from the seat across from him. He looked over at Andy with a smirk. "Have a good summer, f-"

"I believe you were told to leave," Maria's voice rang out as she came to stand beside Andy. "I suggest you do before I decide to let my sons take care of you." Christian gave a soft scoff.

"Whatever you say, ma'am," he said, shoving past Andy as he left the restaurant.


	3. Chapter 3

Four days later, Kira stood at the Destruction Bay airport, dressed in her dark grey slacks, a tight black blouse with a yellow cami top peaking out at the top and bottom with her bright yellow Melie Bianco purse thrown over her shoulder. Her black stiletto with metal heels just barely poking out from the bottom of her pants. It had been an exhausting few days trying to buy a new car to replace the one that Vengakix had exploded, and just a few short hours before she was due to pick Trent up, she'd finally secured one. A yellow Chevrolet Malibu had caught her attention when she'd been at the dealership, and she bought it, as a change of pace from her original cobalt. She was partially grateful for small favors though. As much as it had been a chore to secure herself a new car, Andy and Mia, the part of this equation she thought was going to be most stressful over the next few days, were pleasant company. They had come by whenever they could to see if there was anything they could help out with in preparation for the arrival of her friends. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, Kira agreed to let them set up the guest rooms she had in her house by putting fresh linens on all the beds and tiding up the place. The teens agreed to help out except for the previous day, though she had been busy too since it was graduation and she had to be in attendance as a teacher while they were there in support of Lucy, whose valedictorian speech went off without a hitch. But now it was time for the stressful part. She hadn't seen Trent since she'd moved from Reefside three years before when he'd been home for Christmas... But he was the least of her worries. Though to anyone else, seeing an ex boyfriend could be enough stress to induce a panic attack, Kira and Trent recovered from their break up in the middle of their sophomore year in college and have been friends longer than they were a couple. She wasn't worried about seeing him in that regard; it was more the circumstances revolving around seeing him and the others.

"Flight 198 from New York City arriving at Gate C." Came the cool female voice over the PA system. Kira looked up at the voice before adjusting her purse on her shoulder and making her way to the aforementioned gate. She soon came to it and stood by as the saw the plane pull in from the large window showing the runway. After a few minutes, the docking procedures were completed and the line of passengers began to stream out. Kira stood back, looking over heads to try and see her old friend. She waited a few more minutes before she spotted his familiar face.

"Trent!" She called, waving as she did so. Trent Mercer was looking around for a sign of her when he heard her calling. He looked over to the source of the voice and smiled once he saw her as he squeezed through the sea of fellow passengers to get to her. Once she got there, his smile went to a perplexed look as he finally got a good look at her.

"Wow," he breathed out, surprised. Kira blushed.

"Oh stop." She commented, throwing her arms around him and giving him a hug. Trent slipped his arms around her.

"You look gorgeous." He commented. Kira chuckled as the two hugged.

"Watch it now," she playfully warned. "You saying those same exact words at the prom after party is what got us into trouble," she teased as they pulled apart. Trent chuckled.

"Was it really trouble?" He asked, winking at her. Over the years, the two had moved on from their past relationship and settled back into friendship to the point that they would sometimes tease and joke with one another about their time together. "Besides," he said, "Monique's enough woman for me these days," he grinned, referring to his girlfriend for the past three years. Kira had met her when Trent brought her home with him for Christmas, a mere month into their relationship. Kira smiled.

"Good to see that you're still with her." She replied.

"Yeah, unfortunately she's not as easy to get rid of as you," he playfully teased as he put an arm around her while the two went to the luggage carasaul.

"You got rid of me?" Kira replied with playful outrage. "I do believe it was the other way around, Mercer." Trent laughed.

"Whatever you say Ford." He replied. They laughed for a minute before falling silent.

"So when did this change occur?" He questioned. Kira shrugged lightly.

"Around when I started teaching," she replied.

"I get the change in clothing." He replied as the stopped in the baggage claim area. "But the hair too?" He questioned. "I think it makes your entire look." Kira laughed.

"Figured it'd make me look more grown up," she said. "Probably the same reason Dr. O cut his hair," she said. During her brief relationship with Adam Park, she had been regaled with stories of Adam and Tommy during their youth, along with pictures. Trent nodded.

"Makes you look more mature...Personally, I think it looks a lot better on you." He complimented. Kira smiled.

"Thanks," she said.

"Oh, there's mine," Trent said as he saw his bag on the carousal.

"Awesome." Kira commented as he grabbed it and pulled it off the carousal. Trent slung his duffle bag over his shoulder and rejoined Kira as the two made their way out of the airport to the parking lot. "So who else knows about your wonderful change?" He questioned. Kira shot a side glance at him as the strolled through the parking lot.

"Ethan... And now you," she replied. They soon reached her car and Kira opened up the trunk for him to put his bag in it.

"What, Conner doesn't know?" He teased. Kira looked at him.

"Oh no, not you too," she groaned. Trent laughed.

"By that I'm going to assume that Ethan already talked to you." He replied. He slid the bag off his shoulder and placed into the trunk just seconds before Kira slammed it shut, signifying this conversation would not be had. "All right then," Trent muttered as Kira went to the front of the car and got in the driver's seat as Trent climbed into the passenger's seat.

"Look Trent, I don't mean to be rude," Kira said as she started up her car, "but seriously, this is not something that's on the top of the list of priorities here, so don't start." Trent shrugged.

"It's your life Kira... We're just your friends who think we know what's best for you." He replied. "But sometimes I guess we don't." Kira sighed and pulled out of the parking lot, beginning the drive to her house.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to snap or anything," she said. "It's just….with this new evil making herself known, I don't want to get into my personal life." Trent nodded.

"I can understand that." He replied softly. Kira smiled and gave him a brief look.

"Thanks," she said.

"So, those students you mentioned when we talked yesterday, are they at your place?" Trent asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, Mia and Andy are there just in case Ethan shows up with Dr. Oliver and Conner before we get there." Trent nodded.

"Good plan." He replied. Kira nodded. The two engaged in idle chit chat as they continued on the drive to her house. They finally approached her house and Kira saw Ethan's car parked right at her house. "Looks like it was a good thing those kids were here," Trent observed, seeing that they hadn't beat Ethan, Tommy and Conner to the house.

"I'd say." Was all that Kira replied with. Part of her was happy that she wouldn't have to sit in her living room worrying about it... But at the same time she was worried about how well Andy and Mia greeting Tommy, Ethan and Conner had gone. Sighing, she climbed out of the car and popped the trunk.

"Let's get this over with." She muttered. She walked up the porch with Trent following behind her after he got his bag from her car and closed her trunk. She opened the door to see Tommy, Conner and Ethan sitting on her living room couch with Mia and Andy standing against the wall.

"Oh, thank god you're back," Mia said, approaching her. "Your friends are so boring," she said.

"Gee, thanks," Kira heard Conner chortle behind Mia. Kira grinned as she tossed her purse on the chair and moved towards Ethan.

"Hope my students were gracious hosts while you guys were waiting," she kidded as the two hugged. Ethan laughed.

"Oh yeah," he said, "they were perfect hosts. All twenty minutes of silence were just great," he said.

"Didn't hear you contributing to the conversation," Mia muttered. Ethan shrugged.

"Not much of a talker." He replied.

"Then quit complaining," Mia replied.

"All right," Kira sighed. "Let's all get along now, shall we?" From behind Ethan came a chuckle as Tommy stood to greet her.

"How very teachery," he kidded. "It's good to see you, Kira," he said before giving her a hug.

"You too," Kira replied.

"Adam says hello by the way," he teased, causing Kira to blush. Kira's relationship with Tommy's friend, though brief, had made it to the ears of everyone else much to Kira's chagrin and thanks to Ethan's big mouth. At first, Tommy had found it completely inappropriate and even called up Adam to berate him for 'taking advantage' of his former student, regardless of the fact that said former student was 22 at the time. After some time, and some coaxing by some of Tommy's other friends, especially his then fiancé and now wife Kimberly, Tommy begrudgingly accepted the relationship a few weeks before Kira and Adam themselves decided to go their separate ways. After that, the relationship became a subject of teasing from everyone in both Adam and Kira's lives.

"It's been over five years, think you could let that go already?" Kira grumbled.

"Aw, why when it's so much fun to tease you about it?" A new voice chuckled as Conner stood up from behind Tommy. He paused once he had an unobstructed view of her, his breath leaving him in a quiet, inaudible gasp. He stared at her for a long while, as if committing her image to his memory. Behind Kira, Ethan and Trent snickered quietly.

"Hey Conner," Kira breathed out. Conner blinked, bringing himself out of the reverie staring at her had put him in.

"Hey," he replied.

"What, no hug for Conner?" Ethan's voice rang out, referring to Kira's stationary stature. Kira sighed, closing her eyes as she vowed to kill Ethan later.

"Guess he does have a point," Conner said, giving her a warm smile coupled with a wink, which caused Kira's previous blush to return ten fold. "Don't I get a hug too?" He asked. Kira chuckled and went over to him, throwing her arms around him a hug.

"It's great to see you." She commented. She felt Conner's arms come around her in a tight embrace.

"Same here," he whispered in her hair, closing his eyes and inhaling, getting a strong whiff of the shampoo she'd used earlier that day. The two stayed in their embrace for longer than any of the embraces Kira had given thus far that day, causing the others in the room to give each other awkward looks.

"Uh," Andy finally said after a while, "so, if all the greetings are through, shouldn't we get to whatever work we need to get to?"

"Right!" Kira commented, finally pulling away from the hug, blushing furiously.

"Yeah," Conner muttered, looking away.

"We should all…uh…get downstairs then," Kira said. Without another word she began making her way to the basement. Tommy, Mia and Conner followed her. Andy went to go along when he felt a sharp smack upside his head before Trent passed him to go join the others.

"Ow," Andy muttered, rubbing his head. He took a step to follow only to get another smack upside the head as Ethan passed him.

"What the hell!?" He exclaimed.

"You had to say something, didn't you?" Ethan sighed before following the others to the basement. Andy stared at his retreating figure with a confused expression.

"What did I do?" He grumbled, rubbing his sore head.

"You stopped them." Ethan hissed.

"Stopped who?" Andy asked. Ethan gave him an incredulous look.

"How clueless can you be?" He asked.

"Very, apparently." Trent muttered as they walked down the stairs. Andy sighed and simply followed them. Once the three joined the others downstairs, they saw that Kira was just starting to show off her lair to Conner and Tommy.

"Impressive," Tommy said. Conner smirked.

"That's Dr. O speak for 'hey, you copy cat, quit ripping my style'," he joked. Kira grinned and rolled her eyes.

"I simply _borrowed_ the idea." She replied. Ethan chuckled as he and Trent walked over to them.

"It's an homage," Ethan said.

"Hey, if it gets the job done who cares what it is," Trent smirked.

"I think I've got to agree with that," Tommy said.

"Glad to see that you guys like it." She replied. As the five friends chatted, Mia and Andy stood by with bored expressions on their faces.

"I thought once Ms. Ford's friends got here we'd actually be doing something other than standing around," Mia sighed. Andy gave her a look.

"What, do you want to go back to vacuuming her living room?" He asked.

"Did I say that?" Mia replied. She sighed, shrugging. "Just feeling restless, that's all," she said.

"Oh yes, having four days of not having some crazed woman try to kill you could make any one feel restless," Andy said, rolling his eyes. Mia shot Andy a look and smacked his arm. "Ow!" Andy exclaimed, catching everyone's attention. "All right, that's it, if one more person hits me, heads will roll," he groaned. Mia snorted.

"Another empty threat." She replied. He threw a glare her way.

"Everything all right over there?" Kira asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Mia grumbled. "Just bored out of our minds while we watch you five catch up on old times, that's all." Kira looked at them.

"You could always go back to cleaning." She offered.

"I'm not dusting another nook or cranny of this place even if you paid me," Mia muttered. She cast a look at Kira. "Wasn't the whole point of getting your old gang together was to do something about the evil chick? Well, guess what, catching up isn't exactly productive."

"Mia, shush," Andy warned. He figured getting an attitude with their teacher, summer or not, wasn't a good idea. Kira nodded.

"No, you're right." She replied. Mia looked at her.

"I am?" She said. She cleared her throat. "I mean, of course I am," she said. Kira smiled.

"I can imagine these past few days haven't exactly been easy for you guys and I apologize for keeping you guys waiting around with nothing to do but chores around the house."

"Hey, we're just glad we could help out in any way we could, right Mi?" Andy said, nudging his friend. Mia gave him a look before looking back at Kira with a sigh.

"Yeah," she said. "But we helped out in any way we could already, now what?" She asked.

"Impatient, isn't she?" Ethan mused.

"It's one of my finer qualities," "It's one of her finer qualities," both Mia and Kira quipped at the same time, causing everyone to stare at them for a moment before chuckling.

"Did you two rehearse that?" Trent laughed. Kira laughed.

"No...She said the exact same thing to me a few days ago." She replied.

"Look, we've got a lot of things to figure out," Ethan spoke up. "Kira, as impressive as this place is….you could do with a good once over from the tech master," he grinned.

"I wouldn't expect anything else," Kira replied, sending a smile his way. He looked back at the teens.

"So, how about you guys just go home and relax and we'll call you when things are up and running?" He suggested. Mia and Andy stared at him, their mouths falling open in shock.

"We spend days out of our summer vacation to prepare this place for you guys and everything….." Andy begun.

"And you're just going to send us off on our way like that?" Mia finished for him. Kira looked at them, feeling bad.

"I know it's not what you expected... But there's just no reason for you to be sitting around doing nothing all day." She replied. As if anticipating any retort from them, she held up a hand and continued. "And there's nothing I can give you guys to do to pass the time, unless you want to get a head start on your summer reading lists," she said.

"Uh no, thanks, we'll just go then," Andy quickly piped up, taking hold of Mia's shoulders. "Let's go, Mi," he said. Mia didn't protest as she and Andy climbed the stairs and left the house.

"Nice kids," Conner muttered as the two left. Tommy chuckled and looked at him.

"As if you four were any different at their age," he replied.

--

After leaving Kira's house, Mia and Andy drove to the park and sat at a secluded part, just lounging in the grass, watching their peers running around having water fights not too far away.

"I envy them," Mia said after a while, watching some girls giggle as they pelted some guys with water balloons. "They have no idea what's going on out there….how our city could be bad guy central or something…and they're totally blissful in their ignorance." Andy gave her an odd look.

"Okay, you're becoming a little too reflective there, Mi," he sighed. Mia shrugged.

"How else are we supposed to deal with the news?" She questioned. Andy shrugged.

"Maybe take Ms. Ford's friend's advice and relax?" He suggested.

"I can't relax," Mia grumbled. "I keep expecting you know who to just appear out of no where or something. It's not like she didn't do that when we were at the beach." The second those words left her mouth, the two heard a loud thump behind them which sprang them into action as they scrambled to their feet and turned around to face whatever danger there was by falling into fighting stances.

"Whoa, uh, okay if you guys need your privacy you could've just said so," said a voice. Mia and Andy blinked as they saw that the noise hadn't come from Vengakix trying to sneak up on them, but someone taking a seat at the picnic table a foot away from them. Mia blinked and looked at the person.

"What the hell were you doing?" She demanded. Nathan blinked at her.

"Uh, same as you, I suppose, enjoying the nice summer day," he said, adjusting his glasses. "Didn't know that was a crime," he said.

"It's not," Andy spoke up. "Settle down, Cujo," he murmured to Mia. Mia snorted.

"Right and the eavesdropping just happened to happen right?" She questioned. Nathan fixed her with an amused look before chuckling.

"Eavesdropping?" He asked. "I highly doubt either of you have anything interesting enough to say to warrant eavesdropping." Mia glared at him.

"Doesn't matter." She shot back. Nathan rolled his bespectacled eyes at her.

"Hey, I just didn't feel like sitting over at the tables over there and getting caught in the water gun crossfire. I wasn't eavesdropping, just sitting, okay?" He said.

"Whatever." Andy commented. Nathan threw a glare at him before standing up.

"Right, well remind me next time Mr. James Dean wannabe says something to get your panties in a bunch to just keep my mouth shut," he muttered, feeling a little miffed that he'd done a good deed for them a few days ago and hadn't even gotten a thank you and was now getting attitude from them instead of gratitude. Andy blinked.

"That was you?" He asked. Nathan looked at him.

"No, it was my twin brother," he scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Yes it was me." Andy shook his head.

"Sorry man, craziness was going on then….Didn't really register faces or anything," he said. There was silence from all three parties for a few seconds before they heard a malicious laughter. Mia and Andy spun around only to come face to face with Vengakix. Mia sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Oh not you again, don't you have anything else to do but stalk us?" She snapped. Andy grabbed her wrist as he slowly backed up, pulling her back with him.

"Mi, back talk later, run now," he suggested. Andy moved backwards, his eyes still trained on Vengakix as he focused on pulling Mia back with him that he forgot Nathan was still standing there until it was too late.

"Ow!" Nathan exclaimed as Andy stepped on his foot and tripped over him, falling backwards causing all three teens to fall in a heap.

"That was graceful," Mia muttered.

"Get off me!" Nathan barked, his voice muffled by Andy's back

"I'm trying!" Andy shouted. Vengakix looked at them.

"Stupid teens." She muttered as she moved forward. Mia, who was trying to scramble back to her feet but was being pinned down by someone's leg—and she wasn't sure who's—looked up. She saw Vengakix approaching them and quickly stuck her hand out.

"Back off!" She snarled, sending a concentrated gust of wind at the woman, much like she did a few days ago. Vengakix laughed as she held her hand out, effectively stopping the blast. Mia's eyes widened.

"Shit, didn't know she could do that," she said.

"Who could do what?" Nathan asked as he was trying to get out from under Andy and Mia, his vision blocked by Andy being on top of him. "Ow!" He yelled as Andy, who was also trying to get up, accidentally slammed his elbow into Nathan's jaw.

"Okay, we need to go now," Mia muttered as she increased her efforts to get up. Vengakix chuckled.

"You three are almost too amusing to destroy," she mused. "I just might keep you as my court jesters."

"Doubt it." Andy snapped as he finally was able to stand up, shoving Mia off of him and causing her to roll a few inches away. "I think our friend here looks a little thirsty," he smirked as he raised his hand up.

"Andy, don't, wai-" Mia tried to warn but Andy didn't hear her as he sent a blast of water towards Vengakix, who held up her own hand. Instead of stopping it like she had with Mia's attempt, she deflected the blast and sent it right back Andy.

"What the-" Was all Andy could get out before the blast hit him directly in the chest, sending him soaring through the air until he landed a few feet away.

"Andy!" Mia shrieked. Over by Andy, the strange occurrence finally caught the attention of the teens engaging in water fights and the air was filled with panicked shouting as they ran away. Nathan's eyes darted between Mia and Andy.

"What the hell!?" He muttered. Mia looked over at him as she slowly pushed herself up to her feet.

"You need to get out of here, now," she advised.

"Aw, I think he should stay," Vengakix's voice rang out. "I wouldn't mind having a new playmate," she chuckled.

"Who asked you?" Mia barked. She balled up her fist and threw a gust of wind at Vengakix, hoping to catch her unawares. The strike simply made the villainess take a single step back before she chuckled.

"Is that all you've got?" She sneered. Beside Mia, Nathan was slowly raising to his feet, starring at the scene before him with wide eyes.

"You guys have powers too?" He breathed out. Mia went to tell him to shut up and run when what he said set an alarm off in her head. Her wide eyes darted towards him.

"What do you mean, 'too'?!" She demanded. Nathan grinned.

"Just watch." He commented. He closed his eyes and waited just a moment before the ground began to shake violently. Mia stumbled backwards until her hip bumped into the picnic table Nathan had been sitting at before. She quickly grabbed onto the edge of the table to keep herself steady. She looked over and saw Vengakix try to keep her footing before failing against the force of the earthquake and falling on her back.

"Ha!" Andy laughed from his position a short distance away. Mia looked over and couldn't help break out into a relieved smile as she saw Andy make his way to them, the only evidence of getting hit by his own attack being a slight limp as he gingerly rubbed his chest, where the blast had hit him, and the fact that he was dripping wet.

"I think she's down for the count," Nathan's voice rang out as he observed Vengakix's fallen form. Andy slowly got closer to them, coming to a stop behind Nathan.

"We should get out of here then, while she's still out," Andy suggested.

"Who said I was ever out?" Came a chuckle from Vengakix's prone form. The three teens looked over at her as she gracefully floated back onto her feet. Her eyes narrowed at Nathan. "That wasn't very nice," she sneered at him. Before any of them could react, a ball of black electricity formed in her hand before she heaved it straight for Nathan.

"Look out!" Mia screamed, but the ball hit Nathan straight in the chest with such force it knocked him into Andy before slamming the two sprawling back a few feet before landing in a joint unconscious heap. Mia stared at their unmoving forms with wide eyed terror. "Oh god," she whispered. Just as she went to turn back around to face Vengakix, she felt the woman's hand clamp around her throat in a vice grip before she lifted Mia up and slammed her down on the picnic table, the squeezing grip on her throat keeping her in place as she struggled to get out of Vengakix's hold.

"Oh no," Vengakix sneered. "Looks like there are no more boys to help you," she chuckled.

"Who says I need help?" Mia choked out as she dug her nails into Vengakix's wrist in hopes of making Vengakix let go of her. This only made the woman tighten her hold on her neck. Mia gagged and struggled to suck in air but Vengakix's hold on her was making that near impossible.

"Just stop struggling and die already," Vengakix hissed out. Mia's eyes fluttered shut as she felt consciousness slowly slipping away from her. In the distance, she could hear the roar of an approaching motorcycle. Suddenly she felt an intense heat licking at her side before Vengakix let out a pained shriek, her grip disappearing as she stumbled back. Mia gasped as she fell off the picnic table, falling onto all fours on the ground as she sucked in precious oxygen. Once her senses returned to her she noticed her sleeve had caught on fire.

"Shit!" She gasped before quickly smacking the flame out. She looked over to see Vengakix stumbling backwards, her dress engulfed in flames. Mia looked up to see someone dismounting a motorcycle. By their stature she could tell it was a guy, and he was dressed in jeans and a black leather jacket zipped up to his chin, a large helmet on his head hiding his face. "Not that I'm not grateful," Mia muttered hoarsely, rubbing her neck, "but think you could work on that aim, Torchy?" She said, looking down at her sleeve which now had scorch marks and holes all over it. Her mysterious savior gave her a brief look.

"How dare you interfere!" Vengakix snarled. She waved a hand over her dress and caused the flames to disappear. The stranger in question shrugged before throwing another fireball at Vengakix. Vengakix stuck her hand up and brushed the attack aside, letting the fireball hit the grass before smothering out. "Oh," she chuckled, "is that all you've got?" The stranger took a step back in surprised before dashing over to Mia and grabbing her arm before hauling her to her feet.

"Come on," he said lowly, dragging her towards his bike. "We've got to get out of here." Mia tried to pull her arm back.

"You can't honestly be suggesting we leave them with her, are you?" Mia gasped out, looking back at Nathan and Andy, who were still unconscious. She figured Vengakix was too distracted with her and this new ally to think about doing anything to the two fallen teens but Mia knew that if left with no distractions Vengakix would not hesitate to take advantage of Andy and Nathan's current unconscious state. He ignored her as he put his hands on her waist and lifted her up, setting her down on the bike. "Hands off!" She snarled as she tried to get off the bike. "I'm not leaving them!" The stranger looked at her before emitting a groan and shaking his head.

"Fine, stay here," he ordered before turning back to Vengakix. "I'll get rid of her," he said.

"Oh, will you now?" Vengakix sneered. He nodded.

"Damn skippy I will." He replied before blasting another fireball in her direction. Vengakix smirked as she put her hand up, seemingly catching the fireball in her hand.

"Oh, this again?" She cackled before hurling the ball right back at him.

"Oh shit," the stranger muttered before the ball hit him with harder force as he'd sent it out, causing him to fly backwards. Mia quickly ducked as his body went soaring over her head before landing with a hard thud. Mia looked back at him before her attention was drawn back to Vengakix as the woman heaved a bored sigh.

"Oh dear," she said. "I really thought you humans would be more of a challenge." She looked at Mia. "You are not worth my time, little girl," she sneered.

"Oh and you're such a barrel of fun yourself," Mia snapped back. Vengakix simply glared at her.

"I will return when I have a much more worthwhile opponent," she said. "Tell your darling teacher I expect her to face me," she said before disappearing. Mia blinked, staring at the spot Vengakix had just occupied. A groan in the distance caught her attention, causing her to look over to see Andy and Nathan slowly getting up. She slowly slid off the motorcycle and went to them.

"You guys okay?" She asked. Andy nodded, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah, you?" He asked. Mia opened her mouth to reply when she remembered that her savior had been on the receiving end of an attack.

"Oh crap," she said before rushing past the bike to the body. She found him lying on the ground, groaning gently. The fireball that had hit his chest had been snuffed out but not without burning a whole through his leather jacket, revealing a red shirt. She quickly kneeled at his side and gently lifted his head up. "Are you okay?" She asked. The man groaned gently. He tried to get up but Mia stopped him.

"You took a pretty hard hit," she said, "you should probably lie still." He chuckled at her concern.

"Aw shucks, my angel, didn't know you cared," he said. Mia's eyes widened as she finally recognized his voice.

"YOU?!" She hissed before quickly dropping his head and jumping back up to her feet. The man chuckled as he pushed himself up to his feet with one hand while the other pulled his helmet off to reveal Christian's smug face. Mia gave a disgusted scoff once she laid eyes on his face, causing him to give a mock frown.

"Hey now, I just saved your life," he grinned, going over and catching her hand in his. "I believe that deserves a thank you," he said. The second the words left his mouth, a stream of water shot out and slammed against him, causing him to release Mia's hand and fall over.

"That's all you deserve," came Andy's sneering tone as he and Nathan approached the bike. Christian shook his head trying to rid his ears of water as he slowly stood up.

"Huh, feeling all big and bad now, huh?" He said. "I was attempting to save your ass before gothic bitch knocked me down; I think you should be a bit nicer to me." Nathan scoffed.

"You were only doing that because she wouldn't let you leave us," he said. Christian narrowed his eyes at him.

"Nobody asked you, geek boy," he sneered.

"And there you go with the unimaginative nicknames again," Nathan sighed, shaking his head.

"Guys!" Mia commented. The three males turned and looked at her. "Fighting is going to get us nowhere... Andy I think we need to take them to see Kira." Andy looked at her.

"Didn't her friend give us a 'don't call us, we'll call you' kind of send off before?" He reminded her. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Yeah well I kind of think that's null right now, given new developments," she said.

"Who's Kira?" Christian asked, smirking. "She sounds hot." Mia turned to look at him.

"That would be Ms. Ford, jackass," she replied. Christian chuckled.

"Aw, not jealous, are you?" He said.

"Shut up before I knock you on your ass like I did the other day," she threatened.

"I thought you said no fighting," Nathan pointed out.

"Shut up!" Came a chorus of three voices. Nathan frowned.

"Sorry," he muttered. Mia sighed.

"Let's just go, okay?" She said.


	4. Chapter 4

The members of the dino team were huddled behind Ethan as he sat at the main computer in Kira's lair, as they had been since Mia and Andy left as Ethan worked on Kira's system.

"What exactly are you doing?" Trent questioned.

"Well, I'm trying to create a networking system for Kira's lair here," Ethan said. "But, since it's impossible to create something out of nothing, I need to hack into the system Dr. O had in our old lair so I can piggy back Kira onto that and give her system a jump start," he explained. Tommy frowned.

"Oh sure, go ahead and hack into my computer," he grumbled lightly.

"Figured you'd be cool with it," Ethan snickered.

"Oh yes... It's just peachy." Tommy grumbled. Conner chuckled and clapped his former teacher and teammate on the back.

"Hey, it's all for the greater good, isn't it?" He said.

"Greater good my ass," Tommy replied. "I figured that Ethan had all this memorized and could actually create something out of nothing."

"Hey, tech wizard is just a title," Ethan spoke up, "I can't actually perform miracles," he said.

"All right, why don't we just give the master some quiet to work in?" Kira sighed.

"Where's the fun in that?" Trent questioned. Ethan opened his mouth to give a reply when they heard the front door upstairs burst open.

"Kira!" Mia's voice called. Ethan rolled his eyes.

"I thought we got rid of Itchy and Scratchy," he sighed.

"Which ones which?" Conner pondered aloud.

"Does it matter?" Ethan asked. Conner thought about it for a moment.

"Kind of, yeah." He replied. Kira rolled her eyes.

"All right, you guys debate that universal question while I check out what's going on," she said before leaving the lair. She climbed up the stairs to find Mia, Andy and two other teens in her living room. Kira frowned as she approached them.

"Uh, Mia, Andy," she said, crossing her arms. "As much as I'm touched you two feel comfortable enough to drop by unannounced like this….who said you could bring your friends?"

"Oh believe me, they're not friends," Mia said, her eyes narrowing slightly at Christian.

"Ouch," Nathan muttered. Andy placed a hand on his shoulder.

"She didn't mean you," he assured him.

"Okay, can someone give me an explanation here?" Kira cut in. Mia blinked and looked over at her.

"They've got powers," Mia replied.

"Hey!" "Thanks a lot, nark," Nathan and Christian's voices exclaimed in unison, neither too pleased at having their secrets blabbed out. Kira stared at them in shock.

"Excuse me?" She asked. Andy sighed.

"Let's just say we're just one member away of being able to call on Captain Planet," he said. Kira sighed.

"Wonderful." She muttered. She looked at the two new people. "Who's who?" She asked. Both were quiet. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Earth," she said, pointing to Nathan, "fire," she said, sweeping a hand towards Christian so suddenly, it smacked against his face. "Whoops, sorry," she said with mock sincerity. Christian glared at her.

"That's the thanks I get after I swoop in and save you from being strangled to death?" He asked. Mia thought about it for a few moments.

"Yup." She replied.

"Ungrateful bitch," he grumbled, only to get a smack upside the head from Andy.

"Watch your mouth," he warned. Christian glared at him.

"You ever get tired of jumping in and trying to be her knight in faggy armor?" He sneered. Mia spun around and grabbed the collar of what was left of his leather jacket.

"You use that word one more time and I swear I'll make sure you live long enough to regret every second of it," she growled. Kira sighed and grabbed Mia's shoulder, pulling her away from him.

"Stop it. All of you." Kira commented.

"He started it," Mia grumbled.

"Oh, that's mature," Christian replied.

"Oh, and using homophobic slurs is just so classy," Nathan replied, rolling his eyes.

"Knock it off!" Kira yelled, nipping another fight before it started. The four teens looked at her. "All right, will someone tell me what happened?" She asked. The teens were quiet for a moment before Andy spoke up.

"Vengakix made an appearance," he explained. Kira looked at him. From how they looked—Andy's damp appearance, Nathan gingerly rubbing his chest every so often, Mia's ruffled appearance and the burnt remains of her sleeve, and the hole in Christian's jacket, she could only imagine what could've gone on.

"Thank god you're all okay." She commented.

"She nearly wasn't," Christian smirked, gesturing to Mia, "but good thing someone…….who was it? Oh yeah, me, showed up and got the Destruction Bay Strangler off of her."

"Oh don't be so smug," Mia snapped. "I could've gotten her off of me if you hadn't showed up."

"Oh really? Well to me it looked like you were too busy almost passing out to do anything," he replied. Mia simply scoffed and looked away, unable to come up with a response. Andy sighed.

"Mi, he does have a point there, you could've died if it hadn't been for him" he said, only to pause. "Man, I must've hit my head harder than I thought if I'm actually saying that," he muttered. Mia looked at Andy.

"Fine. He saved me... Big deal."

"Don't mention it," Christian said. "I'm sure you'll think of some way to repay me," he said with a wink. Kira glared at him. She was beginning to regret stopping Mia from doing whatever she wanted to do before she pulled her away from him.

"All right, you're starting to get on _my_ last nerve, no more talking from you." Christian looked at Kira and simply nodded. She looked down at Mia, for the first time noticing a mark on the girl's neck. She shifted Mia's hair out of the way and saw the imprint from the hold Vengakix had had on Mia's neck. "Man, she could've snapped your neck like a twig," she muttered.

"Yeah, yeah, but she didn't," Mia said, shaking her head so her hair fell out of Kira's fingers.

"So, we decided that Andy's Scratchy and Mia's Itchy," came Conner's amused voice as he approached the group. He and the others had noticed Kira had been dealing with the teenagers for a while, much longer than it should've taken to send the teens away so he figured he'd go up and investigate. He paused as he saw Nathan and Christian. "Huh, and they brought some new friends with them," Conner mused. Kira nodded.

"That they did..." She trailed off. Nathan gave a wary look at the two adults before leaning into Andy a bit.

"Are they going to kill us?" He whispered to the blonde teen. Andy chuckled.

"Nah, but he and the other guys might bore you to death," he snickered.

"I heard that," Conner stated. Andy grinned.

"Good to know." He replied. Kira sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Look guys," she said, "as much as I'm glad you're all safe and these new developments are noteworthy, there's still nothing you guys can do here." Mia turned around and looked at her.

"We get attacked and you shove us out the door?" She asked incredulously. "Some mentor you are," she muttered. Kira looked at her.

"Like I said before, if there was stuff to keep you busy with, I'd do it... But we have nothing right now." She gave Mia an apologetic look. "I'm not saying we don't care, I'm just saying we're still busy with the boring technical stuff right now. Come back tomorrow, I promise things will be more productive." Mia sighed.

"All right, fine," she muttered.

"Wait, should we leave? I mean, Vengakix's come after us twice already…..well, three times in Mi's case and just one with those two……but…….uh, wait what was my point again?" Andy began. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Let's just go, And," she sighed. Andy nodded.

"Yeah, all right," he said. Kira smiled before looking at Nathan.

"I hope you join them back here tomorrow," she said. Nathan shrugged.

"I must say, I'm kind of curious to see what this is all about, so yeah, I'll be here," he said. Kira smiled and nodded before turning to Christian.

"You're welcome back too, as long as you can the attitude," she said. Christian snorted.

"I'll consider it." He replied as the group headed out of the house. Kira sighed and ran her hands over her face.

"I don't care what Dr. Oliver says, we were nothing like those freaks when we were their age," Conner said privately to Kira, causing her to bite back a laugh. She did her best to hide it behind a light snort as the teens filed out of her house. She waited until the door slammed before she chuckled.

"You're so right." She replied. Conner smiled.

"Ah," he said, as Kira turned to face him, "alone at last," he observed. Kira's eyes went wide a bit as she looked up at him.

"Uh, yeah, I guess we are," she said, biting her lip gently as she wondered what that statement meant. Conner smiled down at her.

"I didn't want to say this in front of the others," he said, shrugging a bit, "ya know, didn't want to embarrass you or anything but," he said, letting his voice trail off.

"But?" Kira asked expectantly.

"You look good," he said. "I might even say beautiful," he said playfully. "The brown hair really brings out your eyes." Kira frowned.

"Oh…is that……I mean…..uh, thanks," she muttered lamely. Conner looked at her.

"You okay?" He questioned. Kira nodded.

"Yeah…just….tired I guess…It's been a long few days," she lied. Conner observed her carefully.

"Are you sure?" He asked. Kira nodded. "Really?" He asked. "Because your left eye just twitched when you said that, and again just now."

"So?" Kira asked. Conner smiled.

"Your left eye always twitches when you're being less than a hundred percent truthful," he pointed out. Kira frowned.

"What's with the current obsession with my eyes, McKnight?" She snapped defensively. Conner held up his hands.

"No need to get defensive Kira... I'm just trying to see what's bothering you." He replied. "You used to tell me everything." He replied, sounding a little hurt. Kira looked away.

"Not everything," she muttered. Conner looked at her.

"What does that mean?" He asked. Kira looked up at him, mentally kicking herself for saying that out loud. "Kira, what haven't you told me?" He asked.

"Nothing," Kira said quickly, shaking her head. "I just mean that…uh….I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you," she said. Conner looked at her.

"There's the eye twitch again." He commented softly. Kira sighed.

"I just meant that….well, hey, I didn't tell you about that whole Adam thing, remember? So obviously, I don't tell you everything." She said, praying her eye didn't twitch. _Hey, it is the truth, _she reasoned, _….just not the truth he's looking for._

"You're 0 for 4 here, Kir, there's that twitch again. Now you've either hiding something huge from me or you're about to have a stroke." Kira looked at him.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." She replied softly, not meeting his gaze. She went to step past him to rejoin the others in the lair when he stopped her by putting a hand on her arm.

"Try me," he said softly.

"I can't." She whispered. Conner placed his hand under her chin and tilted it upwards.

"Why not?" He questioned. Kira sighed softly.

"I don't want to hurt you." She whispered. Conner looked at her.

"Hey you guys might wanna come look at this." Trent commented as he walked into the living room. He paused as he saw how close the two were standing. "Oh," he said, his eyebrows going up. "I uh….sorry, didn't mean to interrupt…anything…." He muttered.

"You didn't," Kira said.

"I believe he did," Conner muttered privately to her. Kira chanced a look at him before quickly looking back at Trent.

"We'll be right there," she said. Trent nodded.

"Take your time," he said, giving her a private wink as he turned around and went back downstairs. Conner caught the wink and frowned, letting her go.

"Yeah, I guess he's not interrupting anything," he spat out with more venom than he meant to. Kira gave him an odd look.

"Conner?" She asked, confused by his tone.

"Lets go." He replied angrily. Kira stood there for a moment, just staring at him.

"Did I just miss something?" She questioned.

"No," Conner said, "but I obviously did," he said.

"I'm lost here," Kira admitted. Conner narrowed his eyes at her.

"Oh don't act dumb, Kira," he said, "it's unbecoming of you." Kira took a step back.

"Conner, what is going on... What's with the Jekyll and Hyde routine?" She asked, placing a hand on his arm. Conner shrugged her hand off of him.

"It's nothing," he said. "I just think it's pretty childish that you two are hiding it."

"Hiding what?" She asked, confused.

"Really, no need to go behind all our backs for my benefit, I really could care less," he hissed.

"Conner, what the hell are you talking about?" Kira pressed, the confusion putting her a little on edge.

"You and Trent... Again." He spat.

"Me and Trent?" Kira asked, still confused.

"So, what, feeling a little bored and figured you'd just rotate through all your ex boyfriends? Going to go to that cheating asshole Darrin once you're bored with Trent? Well if you do, do me a favor and wake Ethan up in the middle night with your sobbing phone calls this time." He bit out. Kira's eyes widened, the comment cutting her deep and her hand flew across his face before she could stop herself.

"You really think that I'd be stupid enough to go back to any of them? Christ Conner." She muttered before turning away, tears shining in her eyes. Conner looked at her, idly rubbing his sore cheek.

"So, what you're saying you and Trent haven't gotten back together?" He asked. Kira shook her head.

"You're such an idiot, Conner," she muttered through her tears. "Trent and I are just friends, just like we've been for years now."

"Then what was that wink all about?" Conner countered. Kira spun around to face him, giving him a chance to see the tears he'd caused. His face fell briefly as guilt crept into him, causing a churning feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Because he knows, okay?" She spat out.

"Knows what?" Conner asked. Kira looked away.

"The same thing Ethan knows," she muttered. Conner rolled his eyes.

"Fine, well it's obviously something Conner doesn't know, and he'd really like to know," he snapped. Kira looked down, her chin quivering as more tears leaked out.

"Please Con," she whispered, "just let it go."

"Let what go?" Conner asked. "What is it, Kira? What huge secret is there that Ethan and Trent can know but I can't?" He demanded. "I thought we were best friends, Kir, we've always told each other everything." Kira looked up, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Yeah, well maybe that's the problem," she hissed. Conner stared at her for a moment.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" He asked.

"Maybe all these years of you telling me all about the latest bimbo you've gotten into bed has made me a little sick," she said.

"Oh, what, are you going to take the moral road here, Kira? Hey at least all the people I've dated were in at least the same age group as me, so don't go there," Conner said. Kira glared at him.

"It was just one guy! And it was over half a decade ago, why can't any of you let that go?"

"Because he was Tommy's age for Christ sake!" Conner exclaimed.

"So freaking what?!" Kira shot back. "It wasn't a big deal, we ended up hanging out a bit after we helped out the Overdrive team and things just went that way, we tried it, it didn't work out and the whole thing was over just as fast as it started. Besides, it wasn't like I was some naïve seventeen year old and he was taking advantage like Tommy tried to make it out to be. We were both adults, we ventured into a relationship for a few months, realized we really weren't that into it so we decided to leave it as friends before anyone got hurt." She shook her head. "And that's not the point!" She exclaimed.

"Well what is the point?!" Conner demanded.

"I'm in love with you!" She spat out instantly.

"I-" Conner paused as he caught what she said. "What?" He breathed out, staring at her with wide astonished eyes. Kira blinked as she realized what she had just said. Her hand went up, covering her mouth.

"Oh god," she muttered. "Oh god, oh god, oh god, I didn't just say that, please tell me I just didn't say that," she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut. Conner stood there, mouth hanging open slightly in awe. Kira blinked again. She knew that no matter how much she prayed for what just happened to have been part of her wild imagination, she knew it had actually happened and she had to deal with the consequences. "Are you going to say anything?" She said timidly after a while. Conner simply stared at her, too overcome with his own thoughts to speak. Kira closed her eyes as she felt her heart break inside her chest. She always suspected that if she was ever foolish enough to reveal her feelings to Conner she'd be met with rejection and yet, actually standing there and experiencing it hurt her more than she could ever comprehend. "See, this is why I didn't want to tell you," she whispered. Conner just continued to stare at Kira, who now had tears rolling down her cheeks. Her breath hitching in her speak snapped him from his thoughts. "We'll just say that you have to go back to Reefside sooner than expected." She all but sobbed as she moved towards the hallway to go back downstairs. She had only gotten two steps away from him when he quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards him so suddenly she nearly stumbled against him. "Conner, I'm not in the mood for any patronizing friend comforting crap," she said as she tried to move away from him. Instead of replying, Conner further shocked Kira by spinning her to face him and backing her up until her back touched the nearby wall. "Conner," she protested, but all further protests were cut off by Conner's mouth covering hers in a searing kiss. Kira's eyes widened at the feel of his lips moving against hers, the feeling being a hundred times better than any dream or fantasy she'd ever had. She gave out a small squeak of surprise at the feel of his tongue sweeping past her lips, asking for entrance. Kira could do nothing but part them as his tongue slid in, moving against hers. She sighed as she finally got over her shock enough to reciprocate the action, kissing him back as her hands gripped his shirt at his hips, keeping him there as she feared that if she let him go, he and his lips would slip away.

"Hey guys, what's taking so lo—Oh. My. God," Tommy's voice rang out, causing the pair to quickly break apart and look over to see Tommy and Ethan standing a few feet away. Tommy's face was pale with embarrassment and shock while Ethan bore a wide grin and started clapping as if he'd just seen a Tony award winning play. The blush crept up Kira's neck and onto her face incredibly quickly. She mumbled something and turned away, moving into the dining room. Conner sighed, resting his forehead against the wall for a moment, feeling both embarrassed that they'd been caught, and frustrated that they had to stop kissing. Tommy looked at Ethan and then back to Conner.

"Uh... I'm just gonna pretend that I didn't see that and just go back downstairs." He muttered. "You guys just…come join us when you're ready," he said before heading back down to the basement. He paused when he realized that Ethan was still standing in place, grinning at his two friends. "Come on," he commanded, grabbing the tech genius's arm and yanking him along with him.

"What? Aw come on, ten years of hearing them whine and pine over one another and I have to leave just when things get interesting?" Kira and Conner both stared at their friend in shock.

"You knew?!" They both exclaimed. Tommy sighed and let go of Ethan's arm, figuring he'd leave the three to discuss this.

"I'll be downstairs with Trent," he said as he went down to the basement, leaving the trio facing one another. Conner glared at Ethan as their former mentor walked away.

"Spill." Conner demanded. Ethan's grin faded as he saw the look Conner was giving him.

"Uh, ya know what, maybe I should just give you two a chance to talk," he muttered as he tried to back away to the stairs, only to be stopped by Kira who'd come up behind him.

"Oh no you don't," she said firmly. Ethan sighed and stepped away so as not to be caught in between them.

"Hey," he said, "don't be mad at me. It's not my fault that you both decided to confide your feelings for each other in me and both decided to swear me to secrecy," he pointed out.

"But we can be mad at you for spilling that now." Conner replied angrily. Ethan looked at him, his mouth falling open in shock.

"Wha……Wait, you can't be mad at me for that……..You two were kissing for Christ's sake! So obviously those feelings you were keeping from each other are out in the open now!" Kira looked from Ethan to Conner and back again.

"Honestly, I agree with him..." She trailed off. "Why are we mad at him?"

"Because it's his fault that it took us this long to-" Conner began.

"Oh no you don't," Ethan quickly cut in, shaking his head. "You both told me to keep this secret for you, and against my better judgment I did because I wanted to be a good friend and didn't want to tell tales out of school. And beyond that, I really didn't think it'd be right for me to play messenger and say 'Hey, Con, Kira loves you' or 'Hey, Kir, Conner loves you'," he said. Kira's eyes widened slightly at that and Conner looked away, his cheeks reddening as Ethan continued. "I did nothing to keep you two apart. In fact, I tried my hardest to push you together in any way I could. What do you call me all but putting a gun to each of your heads in suggesting you two come clean and tell each other how you feel?" Ethan said. Kira sighed.

"I'm sorry, Ethe." She replied. Ethan looked at her and gave her a smile before stepping closer and putting an arm around each of their shoulders.

"Hey, no worries, what matters now is that you two crazy kids are finally together," he grinned. "And dear god do I mean finally," he added.

"All right, Ethan," Conner said, rolling his eyes. Kira slowly pulled out of the quasi group hug.

"Right... If you'll excuse me." She replied heading towards the stairs to go up to where the bedrooms where. Conner looked up and ducked out of Ethan's embrace.

"Where are you going?" He asked. He cringed slightly at how desperate his voice sounded. Kira stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned around.

"Firstly, to take off my shoes." She replied, kicking off her black metal stilettos and letting them crash against the wall beside the door. "Secondly, to wash my face... The make-up was caked on already, so I can only imagine how it looks now." She continued. "And lastly, to change."

"We'll be waiting," Ethan said. Conner gave him a look which quickly conveyed a message. "Oh, I mean, I'll be downstairs and he'll be waiting," this only got him another sharp look from Conner. "Uh…I mean…no, he won't be waiting," again another sharp look from his friend. "Oh hell do whatever you want to do, I give up!" Ethan sighed as he turned around and went downstairs. Kira laughed as she headed up stairs.

"I'll be down soon." She commented. Conner sighed and sat down on the couch as he heard Kira's footsteps go up the stairs. Kira walked into her master bedroom and slowly shut the door behind her and locked it. She leaned her back against the door and slid down. Her head was spinning from what had just happened. She told Conner she loved him……….and they kissed………and Ethan informed her that Conner loved her too. She didn't know which thought to address first in her contemplating. Though, she didn't exactly have time to choose since a knock on her door brought her back out of her thoughts.

"Kira?" Conner asked gently. Kira turned her head slightly and looked at the door.

"Yeah?" She replied.

"Can I come in?" He asked. Kira slowly climbed up to her feet as she considered his request.

"Uh…yeah…sure…" She said. There was a moment of pause before Conner spoke again.

"Kira?" He said.

"Yes?"

"I sort of need you to unlock the door," he pointed out, the smirk evident in his tone. Kira gave a weak chuckle before unlocking the door and letting it swing open. Conner smiled before slowly stepping in, pushing the door shut behind him. Kira bit her lip and looked around, feeling too nervous to look at him. Conner was in her room. She felt giddy and excited and a complete nervous wreck.

"Uh, so…what's up?" She asked casually.

"Oh, not much," Conner replied in kind, "just made out with this girl I've sort of been crushing on for a while." Kira's cheeks blushed a bit at that. She felt Conner move past her as he moved over and plopped down on her bed, lounging comfortably. "It was pretty good too, well, that is until two of our bonehead friends interrupted us," he said.

"Seems like it's in their job description as friends." She replied. Conner blinked and looked up at her before quickly sitting up, his face suddenly serious.

"You're….not saying you regret what happened downstairs…do you?" She asked. Kira sighed and slowly walked over to the bed, stopping beside him before nodding slowly.

"Yeah, I am saying that," she said softly. Conner's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to reply when he saw the slight twinkle in her eye. "I regret that our friends have such horrible timing," she said, smiling. Conner stared at her for a moment before catching her hand and pulling her down on the bed, causing her to give a startled shriek before he rolled on top of her.

"That wasn't nice," he said lowly.

"Playing nice gets you nowhere." She replied. Conner gave her a hard look.

"You nearly had me going there for a moment," he informed her. "I hope you've got a way to make it up for that," he said. Kira looked up in his eyes, biting her lip at the passion and hunger she saw there. Passion and hunger that he'd kept at bay for ten years. Kira could understand that, for she had done the same with her own feelings. And as much as she wanted to give in and let the decade of pent up frustrations and feelings have their way with them both, she knew they needed to talk about some things. Of course, it was a little hard to focus on whatever things they needed to discuss with Conner running a hand up her leg.

"Wait," she breathed out, mentally rewarding herself for keeping a clear head and kicking herself for stopping what could've happened next. Conner looked at her.

"Yeah?" He questioned. Kira sighed and sat up, forcing Conner to do the same.

"We should talk," she said. Conner blinked before slowly nodding.

"Yeah…I guess we should," he said, realizing she had a point. He loved Kira, and if they were going to go anywhere, make any steps in a relationship, he wanted to make sure to do things right. And he knew that involved talking things over. Kira nodded and pushed some hair behind her ear.

"Um…okay…" She said softly. "What Ethan said….was it true? I mean, have you really had feelings for me for all this time?" She asked. Conner nodded.

"Yeah." He replied. Kira looked at him, staying quiet as she tried to choose her words carefully.

"Then…" She began, "I mean….how come….uh…." She paused again, letting out a shaky breath. There really wasn't a right way to ask her question so she figured she should just do it fast, as if ripping off a band aid. "How come you've been a bit of a man whore these past years?" She blurted out. Her eyes widened and she quickly covered her mouth, looking away. "Oh god, I didn't mean to say it like that," she said. Conner quirked an eyebrow at her before sighing.

"Okay, I deserved that," he reached over and pulled her hand away from her mouth. "If me talking about all of my….past girlfriends….hurt you even half as much as hearing about Trent, Darrin, Adam and Christopher hurt me….then….yeah…..deserved that one," he said softly. Kira looked at him.

"I really didn't mean for it to come out sound like that though." She replied honestly. Conner nodded, smiling gently.

"Yeah, I know, but even still, I deserve it," he said. He sighed. "Do you really want to know?" He asked. Kira regarded him carefully.

"I don't know, do I?" She asked, worried that whatever explanation he could give would hurt her just as much as hearing about all those girls had.

"Well, it's going to just remove any doubt of how much of an idiot I am," he warned.

"Go on," Kira said, figuring even if the explanation hurt, she wanted to know. Conner sighed, nodding.

"Well…..okay….as far as Krista goes….I did honestly think that I had feelings for her. And maybe I did, I'm not really sure any more." Kira pursed her lips slightly. Even though it had been ten years, she still couldn't help feel jealous over Krista. "I think part of why I was attracted to her was that…she was so different," this only made Kira's frown deepened as she regretted opening this up for discussion. If she was having trouble hearing about Krista, she wasn't sure she could handle the rest. "She saw past my jock bravado and called me on my bull."

"And I didn't?" Kira blurted out. Conner looked at her.

"I didn't say that," he said. "I just mean that….well…it was different. I mean, at the time, I was still figuring out how I felt about you…….and……"

"Okay, moving on," Kira sighed. Conner squeezed her hand gently.

"Hey, we can talk about something else if this is bothering you," he said. Kira sighed and shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry," she said. "I mean….I did ask, didn't I? It's better that I hear this now instead of letting it go and internalizing it for god knows how long," she reasoned.

"Are you sure?" He asked. Kira nodded. "Okay," he said, getting back into his story. "I just mean that I was still trying to figure out a lot of things at that time….life…my feelings for you….everything. And Krista…….as much as her Conner bull shit detector was turned on high….didn't know me. And if it makes sense at all….that was a good thing at the time. It let me figure out things on my own without going by what someone else knew about me."

"Did you love her?" Kira asked. Conner shook his head.

"No," he said. Kira couldn't help smile at that. "Anyway, after we broke up….that was when……..the you part started becoming less 'need to figure it out' and I understood it more. Especially after you were there for me."

"So why didn't we….." Kira asked, her voice trailing off. Conner sighed.

"You were with Trent," he reminded her. "And……I guess I thought he was who you wanted, so I didn't try and just stayed in my post break up misery."

"Oh," Kira murmured, suddenly feeling like a world class idiot. "What about Laura?" She asked. Conner paused as he thought back to his first college girlfriend.

"Me trying to get over you, honestly," he admitted. "We were in different schools in different states, and you and Trent were still together, so I just wanted to forget about my feelings for you and I thought the only way to do that was throw myself into a another relationship. Same goes for Heidi," he said. Kira frowned.

"Wait a second," she said. "Trent and I broke up a little bit before Heidi got deported…..I mean, finished her exchange program and went back home," she amended. During her dislike for Conner's girlfriend at the time, she'd often had fantasies of INS finding her out to be some Swiss spy and deporting her back to her homeland. "So, why did you then move on to Carla?" Conner shut his mouth and looked away sheepishly. "Well?" Kira asked.

"It……..was a guy thing," he admitted. "Flight attendant….." Kira made a face at him. "Sorry," he muttered. Kira sighed.

"All right, but after you got….that….out of your system, I was still single, so why did you go on to Lorraine? What, are exceedingly ditzy co-eds a guy thing too?" She asked. Conner sighed.

"Well, no," he said. "It's just that….by that time….I sort of made myself believe that you and I could never happen," he said. Kira looked at him.

"Why's that?" She asked. Conner looked down.

"You were my best friend, Kir," he said. "I was just….I'd convinced myself that there was no way you felt for me what I felt for you and even if you did…..if we got together, I would do something stupid and ruin everything and not only lose you as a girlfriend but lose you as a friend too, and I couldn't let that happen."

"So…Lorraine and all the ones after that….were what? You admitting defeat and just letting whatever pair of batting eyelashes into your bed?" She asked. Conner shrugged.

"I guess so." He replied softly. "I wanted to forget about you….so….yeah…" He murmured lamely. He blinked and looked up at her. "All right, your turn," he said, turning the tables on her. "If you really did love me all this time….how do you explain Trent, Darrin, Adam and Christopher?" Kira bit her lip.

"Trent was simple and not complicated... It made sense at the time to be with him." She replied.

"He was our enemy for a good chunk of time, not to mention the big bad enemy's son….how was that simple and not complicated?" Conner asked. Kira sighed.

"I guess it boiled down to…..When I first met him…….I was attracted to him…..and at that time you and I were just starting to stand each other let alone be friends…..And after we found out he was the white ranger….by that time I knew those feelings were fading but at the same time he needed help and I wanted to be there for him. After he finally joined our side…….I was already falling for you……but not long after that you started mooning over Krista. So….with you two at prom together, and Ethan with Angela……Trent and I ended up sticking together and," she shrugged, "one thing lead to another and we just……ended up together."

"I see," Conner said. "So...you guys were together for nearly two years and all the while you still had feelings for me?" Kira slowly nodded.

"We stayed together mostly out of convenience," she admitted. "Our schools were close by, we didn't want to be alone, so it just……worked out that way."

"But?" Conner asked. Kira shrugged.

"The convenience just wasn't worth it anymore. Especially when we started functioning more like friends than boyfriend and girlfriend." She shrugged. "After that, I decided to just be on my own for a while, figure things out. A year later I met Darrin and…..I stupidly thought I'd figured enough stuff out."

"The cheating ass," Conner grumbled. Kira nodded.

"Yeah…I thought he was……so great. I mean we had the same passion for music and I loved hearing his band play……but……well, yeah you know how that turned out," Kira said, referring to her finding him in bed with one of his groupies and finding out that hadn't been the first time he went with one of his fans behind her back.

"And then there was Adam." Conner commented. Kira sighed.

"Yeah, then there was Adam," she said. "To be honest, that was another relationship out of convenience. We'd become somewhat close friends after the Overdrive mission, he was just getting over his break up with Tanya and I was still recovering from Darrin while also stinging over you and Betsy," she paused, "or was it Delilah at that point?" She muttered.

"Okay, I get it I was with someone and you weren't all smiles about it," Conner sighed.

"Well, one night he was showing me around his dojo and….things just happened," Kira continued. "I was pretty freaked. I mean, I knew that this guy was one of Dr. Oliver's closest friends but……." She shrugged. "I was young and just got caught up with it all," she admitted. Conner sighed. He'd just about lost it when Ethan had called him and said that Kira was dating someone who was not only ten years older than her, but was one of Dr. Oliver's former teammates. It had in fact, been what ended his relationship with Delilah, who he was with at the time. She had seen how bent out of shape he was getting over Kira and Adam and got extremely jealous. As much as he tried to play it off as being concerned for a friend possibly getting in over her head, Delilah didn't believe him and subsequently dumped him for his roommate at the time. As awkward as that made things around the apartment for a while, he wasn't all that hurt seeing as all this thoughts were consumed by the idea of Kira being with Adam. It hurt him deeper than her previous relationships. When Kira had been with Trent or Darrin, Conner had no reason to feel less than them. They were peers, his age, nothing more or nothing less than himself. But Adam was different. He was more mature, older, owned his own business. It made Conner feel inadequate and worthless and all the more reason for him to dive into his next relationship out of the sheer need for validation. Kira noticed Conner's fists clenching tightly.

"Sorry." She commented softly. "I know he's not your favorite person to discuss." After Kira had found out that Ethan had blabbed to the others about her and Adam, whenever she'd try to discuss it with Conner, he'd promptly change the subject. She had at one point gone as far as accuse him of being unfair since she'd always listen about his relationships, which led to him blowing up at her and saying how inappropriate it was. At the time Kira took it at face value, the age difference, and let it go. But now, she could see there was more to it than that. Conner sighed, relaxing his hands.

"It's not a big deal," he said. He cleared his throat. "So, what led to you guys calling it quits?"

"We realized that…after the novelty wore off, we weren't that into each other as we thought. He still had feelings for Tanya, and I was pinning over you." Conner nodded.

"I guess that'd be a good reason to end things." He commented. "So…Christopher?" He asked, reaching the end of her past relationships. Kira sighed.

"You were in the middle of making your transition from Zoë to Monica, I was starting my teaching degree and not loving how you would gush about Monica whenever we talked on the phone," she said. Conner frowned.

"Sorry about that," he said. Kira waved it off.

"Anyway, as you remember," she said, drawing light to her discussing Christopher with him while she was dating him, "it was nice for a while but in the end….I wasn't his type."

"What do you mean by that?" He questioned. Kira paused for a second. She could've sworn she'd given him all the details but she quickly remembered that that breakup had been one she'd only shared with Ethan.

"Sorry, I thought you knew," she said. She cleared her throat. "Let's just say…..he was in the process of figuring out some things…and when he did figure them out, it turned out I lacked a certain body part to get his motor running." Conner blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"He would've been happier going for you than me," she said in the simplest fashion that she could. It wasn't too far from the truth, as Kira remembered Christopher looking at Conner's picture one of the nights she invited him over to her apartment and seeming a bit interested in what he saw. Conner's eyes widened.

"Are you serious?" He whispered. Kira nodded. Conner sat back a moment before snickering. "I remember you telling me you guys broke up because of 'different interests'………sounds to me you had pretty similar interests," he joked. Kira glared at him and grabbed one of the pillows she was leaning against and smacked him with it. "Ow!" He cried as he continued to laugh.

"It's not funny!" She yelled, though she couldn't help laugh as well. "It was horrible. I was convinced there was something like……totally repellent about me and I'd turned him gay!"

"Hmm," Conner said. "Now that you mention it," he said. "I have been having these weird thoughts about Ethan these past few minutes but I didn't know why…."

"Conner!" Kira exclaimed, hitting him with the pillow again. Conner just continued to laugh. He grabbed the pillow away from her and tossed it aside. "You're terrible," she grumbled, crossing her arms. Conner gave her a sly grin.

"But you love me anyway," he teased. Kira stuck out her tongue at him and looked away. Conner's grin only widened. "I'm pretty sure we can think of other things to do with that tongue," he murmured before shifting closer to her. Kira placed a hand on his chest to stop him.

"Wait," she said. Conner groaned before collapsing backwards, lying back on her bed.

"What now?" He grumbled pitifully. Kira bit back a smile before sighing.

"Conner, I'm not all the other girls you've dated," she said. Conner's brows furrowed.

"I know that," he said in all seriousness. Kira nodded.

"Okay, so in that case, we're going to take things slow," she said.

"Slow?" Conner asked.

"Yes, so you can stop thinking about moving in my room, you're getting one of the guest rooms just like the other guys," she said. Conner pouted.

"What if I promise to behave?" He asked.

"Then I might reconsider it later on... But for now..." She replied.

"For now I'm banished to one of the guest rooms, got it," Conner sighed. He looked up at her before reaching up, twirling a strand of her hair in his fingers. "I do love you," he said, "you know that right?" Kira eyed him carefully.

"You can't sweet talk your way into my bed," she said. Conner shook his head.

"Nor would I try to," he said. "I'm being serious here, Kira," he said, locking his eyes with hers. "I love you. I always have. I respect you……..I'm not saying I didn't respect the girls in my past but…..I guess…..what I mean is with them, I don't think I cared enough to actually make sure things were going at the right pace…Ya know? It's different with you. I want to do this the right way."

"And what do you suppose is the right way?" Kira asked.

"Hell if I know," Conner admitted, causing Kira to laugh gently.

"Good to know." She replied. She sighed as she settled down in a lying position beside him. "I guess we can figure out what the right way is together," she suggested. "And while we're doing that, we can do a little bit of this," she said softly before gently brushing her lips against his. Conner grinned.

"I like the sound of that." He replied. He returned the kiss and the two slowly deepened the contact as Conner shifted, slowly moving on top of her. Kira moved her hands up and ran her fingers through his hair as his hands went to her hips. The two stayed this way for a while before Conner groaned and rolled off of her.

"What's wrong?" Kira asked, looking at him a concerned look on her face. Conner sighed, shaking his head.

"Nothing….just….Head and heart are all for the taking it slow approach...Unfortunately other parts are reacting to ten years of imagining stuff like this and finally experiencing it for real," he muttered. Kira couldn't help giggle lightly. Conner shot a playful glare at her.

"Glad to see that you think it's amusing." He commented. Kira laughed and shook her head before reaching over and stroking his cheek.

"I'm not laughing at you," she said.

"You're not?" Conner asked, unconvinced. Kira sighed.

"I feel the same way," she admitted. "You're not the only one who's got ten years of pent up feelings."

"Good to know." Conner replied. Kira shifted beside him until she was cuddled up next to him, her head on his chest. Conner lifted his arm and put it around her.

"Believe me," Kira said, "there's nothing I'd want to do more than to-"

"Kira," Conner pleaded, chuckling gently, "if you have any regard for my sanity, please, don't finish that sentence," he said. He wasn't sure he could handle hearing whatever it was she wanted to do with her lying so close to him and him not being able to do anything to make whatever want she had a reality. Kira chuckled.

"Alright, I won't," she said.

"Thank you," Conner sighed.

"Maybe we should go see what the others are doing, to ensure we're not tempted into misbehaving," Kira suggested. Conner laughed.

"Okay, new rule, no using possibly salacious vocabulary like 'tempted' and 'misbehaving'," he said. He paused for a moment, "and while we're at it, 'doing' is out too," he said. Kira giggled and sat up.

"Come on," she said. Conner gave an exaggerated groan and rolled his eyes.

"No more of that word either," he said. Kira rolled her eyes.

"Oh now you're just being ridiculous," she said. Conner grinned.

"I try my best." He replied. Kira shook her head and climbed over him to get out of bed. "Oh, now you're just teasing me," Conner chuckled as he had to keep himself from pulling her to him as she moved over him. Kira got out of bed and stood up.

"Perhaps," she teased. She held her hand out to him. "Let's go," she said. Conner sighed and sat up, taking her hand as he stood up.

"Fine." He replied. The two left the room and went down the stairs, their hands locked together as they made their way to the basement. They walked into the lair to find their three friends standing by one of the tables set up in the lair. Ethan looked up at them and grinned as his eyes focused on their locked hands.

"Ah, done with the make out session, kids?" He teased. Kira just flipped Ethan off.

"What did you want to show us?" She questioned. Ethan chuckled and picked up the medium sized box that had been on the table that he and the others were looking at. He went over to the couple and handed it to Kira.

"The coins, m'lady," he smiled. Kira looked at him for a moment before releasing Conner's hand and opening the box. Upon opening she saw five different colored coins that caught the light and set little reflections of light to the wall once the box was opened. She smiled before glancing up at Ethan.

"They're amazing." She commented. Ethan smiled.

"As you can see I tried to model them after our gems in terms colors--red, blue, yellow, white--unfortunately when I was making that one," he said, pointing to the green coin in the box, "something kind of went wonky and black somehow turned into green. Don't ask how……because I haven't the foggiest idea," he chuckled. Tommy laughed.

"Maybe the coin picked up on my first color and preferred to go green instead of black," he kidded.

"Or maybe it's just a really old coin." Conner replied. The others laughed.

"So, since Kira deemed that we're not fit to resume ranger duties," Ethan joked, "guess we'll had these over to the kids."

"Well, there's five coins and only four kids," Conner pointed out. Ethan looked at him.

"When did two become four? What, we got ourselves another cloning issue?" Ethan joked. Trent shook his head as he remembered the trouble that came with the white ranger clone back when they were rangers. As the others talked, Kira's eyes narrowed on the yellow coin in the box as she felt something inside of her being drawn to it. The voices of her friends faded into soft echoes in her ears as the coin, which seemed to glow under her gaze, invaded her senses. She shifted the box in her hand so she was now holding it in one hand as her other reached out and touched it….And then everything went black.

"Kira!" Conner exclaimed as he saw Kira collapse beside him, the box falling out of her hand and hitting the floor. Conner kneeled down beside her and saw that she was out cold, her right hand balled in a tight fist around something.

"What happened?" Ethan asked worriedly as he, Tommy and Trent went over to her side as well, all four guys kneeling beside her.

"I don't know," Conner said, his eyes focusing on Kira intently. He slowly took her shoulders in his arms and pulled her up slightly. "Kira?" He spoke, shaking her lightly. "Come on, Kir, wake up." Kira groaned gently in his arms and opened her eyes. She looked up at Conner dazedly. Conner smiled, his worry slowly washing away with the waves of relief he felt the second she looked at him.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked. Kira nodded.

"Yeah….just….I don't know, felt dizzy," she murmured as Conner helped her sit up.

"I'll go get you some water," Tommy said as he stood up and ran up the stairs. Beside her, she felt Ethan take her right hand in his, gently prying her fist open.

"Uh, I might be wrong, but this might've been the cause of it," he said, causing the other three to look and see the yellow coin in her palm, glowing brightly. Kira's brows furrowed.

"I don't remember picking it up," she muttered.

"You don't?" Ethan questioned. Kira shook her head.

"Not at all," she said. Behind them, they heard Tommy climb back down the stairs before resuming his spot beside her.

"Here," he said, handing her the glass.

"Thanks," Kira said as she accepted the glass and took a long sip of water.

"So, what do you remember?" Ethan asked. Tommy chose not to ask what to ask what he was talking about and simply sat back as Kira began to talk.

"The coin, it was glowing in the box," she said, "and I touched it. There were all these….flashes in my head."

"What kind of flashes?" Trent asked.

"It was like this bright yellow light….and I saw someone in it…….it was just like…an outline of a figure…but I somehow knew it was me…." The others looked at her intently. She blinked and looked at them. "What?" She questioned. Ethan chuckled.

"Weird flashes, dizziness….mind you without the passing out….wasn't that what happened to us when we touched the gems ten years ago?" He asked. Kira's eyebrows went up.

"What are you saying?" She whispered.

"You know what I'm saying," Ethan replied. He blinked and looked at the other coins, which had scattered to the floor when Kira dropped the box. He'd been in close contact with all coins in constructing the power and had no reaction at all, so he figured perhaps he wasn't meant to resume his powers like Kira obviously was. He slid over and gathered the coins back in the box before going back to the others.

"I'm sorry," Kira blurted out. The others looked at her.

"What are you sorry for?" Conner asked. Kira blinked and looked at Ethan.

"That they didn't react with you," she said. Ethan fixed her with an odd look.

"What?" He asked, slightly surprised she had said that. Tommy looked at her.

"You're sorry because you're going to be a ranger again and we're not." He replied. Kira blinked.

"Well….no….I mean….he said…" She muttered, feeling a little confused. "He said the coins didn't react to him when he was working on them."

"Uh, Kir, Ethan didn't say anything," Conner said gently. Ethan looked at her for a moment before chuckling.

"Huh, guess that answers that question," he said.

"What question?" Trent asked.

"Whether that," he said, pointing to the coin in Kira's hand, "would give Kira back her old power, something new, or no power at all." He looked at Kira. "I didn't say that, Kira, I thought it," he said. Kira's eyes widened.

"Whoa, freaky," Conner muttered. Ethan looked down at the box.

"As for the rest of us," he said. "Well, we already know I'm not in line to dust off the ranger gear, and since Trent and Tommy were looking at them with me before you guys got here, my guess is neither are they……..But, Conner…." He said, letting his voice trail off as he handed the box to him. Conner wordlessly took the box from him and flipped it open. He gazed down at the four remaining coins for a long while.

"Well?" Kira asked expectantly. Conner shook his head and shut the box.

"Nope," he said, handing it back to Ethan. Kira sighed and looked down. As much as she would have loved to have the guys fighting side by side with her again... She knew that she was going to be fighting this bitch alone with four teens that'd never done anything like it before. _That is, _her mind piped up, reminding her of harsh realities, _if the remaining coins even react to them. _She realized that just because Mia, Andy, Nathan and Christian had powers of their own didn't necessarily they were destined to be power rangers. She was brought out of her thoughts by Conner gently touching her back. "You okay?" He whispered to her. Kira looked at him and nodded slowly before laying her head on his shoulder.

"Well, this is different." Trent commented. He blinked and looked at Kira. "You got a handle on that new power of yours, or are you reading all our thoughts right now?" He asked cautiously. Kira chuckled.

"It's under control right now," she said. "I think what happened before was sort of….I don't know….things testing themselves out," she said. Ethan nodded.

"Makes sense," he said. "Remember when the three of us were running from the Tyranadrones after picking up the gems? The powers just sort of came out of nowhere but after the initial outburst we could control them. Looks like your new power just wanted to jump up and say 'hey, I'm here,' before sitting back until you need it next," he joked. Kira nodded.

"Yeah," she said. Tommy sighed.

"Well, today's certainly been eventful," he said. "Reunions, new friends, people becoming rangers again, people making out," he teased. Kira groaned and Conner rolled his eyes while Trent and Ethan snickered.

"Have I mentioned how much I hate you?" Kira questioned.

"Not lately," Tommy joked. "Anyway, point is, maybe we should all get some rest since there's nothing else we can do without knowing if those coins will react to those kids," Tommy pointed out, proving that obviously the others had been having similar thoughts as Kira in terms of that. "Besides," he said, "I should probably call home and check on Kim and David," Tommy said, referring to his and Kimberly's four year old son.

"Oh, shit," Ethan blurted out as Tommy mentioning his family suddenly made him remember his own. "Shelly's going to kill me for not calling her sooner," Ethan muttered. Kira, Conner and Trent watched as the two family men left the lair to retrieve their respective cell phones from the bags they'd left upstairs.

"Well, I feel like an odd duck out." Trent commented.

"You could call Monique," Kira chuckled.

"Would like to, but phone's dead and I forgot my charger in New York," he sighed. Kira rolled her eyes and pointed to the cordless phone across the room. Trent looked over, his face brightening.

"Thank you," he muttered quickly before springing up to his feet and getting the phone from the cradle and leaving the lair with it in hand. Kira and Conner laughed.

"It's like clockwork." Kira commented. Anytime that Ethan had come to visit her, without fail he was on the phone with Shelly. It wasn't that she minded though. She actually had found it to be sweet how the James couple couldn't go a day without hearing each other's voice. It made her yearn to have something like that of her own, which only made her think of Conner more and berate herself for falling into self proclaimed celibacy after the fiasco that was Christopher and how that made her give up on ever trying to find a replacement for Conner. Though, she reminded herself, given how things now were she was glad she'd given up on trying. With that thought she looked up at Conner and snuggled deeper in his embrace. Conner looked down at Kira when she snuggled against him. He smiled and squeezed her against him.

"Comfy?" He asked. Kira grinned.

"You have no idea," she sighed. Conner smile widened a bit before he ducked his head down and kissed the side of her head.

"We should probably get up," he said. "Sitting on a floor can't be very conducive to Tommy's point about getting some rest." Kira groaned. He was right. Although she loved the flooring that she picked out, she knew that eventually wouldn't be so comfortable to sit on anymore.

"I guess you're right," she said. Before she could say anything else or make a move to get up, Conner let her go and climbed up to her feet. She looked up, expecting him to help her stand but he instead surprised her by ducking down and scooping her up, lifting her in his arms. "Conner!" Kira exclaimed, caught off guard by his actions. "What are you doing?"

"Well, you took a pretty nasty fall before," he reasoned. "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I let you walk with a possible head injury?" Kira blushed at him calling himself her boyfriend. It had been a word she'd wanted to tag onto him for years and hearing him actually say it himself made her heart flutter.

"I guess you'd be a pretty bad one." She teased. Conner nodded.

"That I would be," he said. Kira smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, placing a quick kiss on his lips.

"Hmm, guess I'm pretty lucky that you're not a bad boyfriend," she said. Conner groaned and placed his forehead against hers for a moment.

"All right 'lucky' is also banned from your vocabulary from now on," he said. Kira rolled her eyes.

"Oh quit that would you?" She said. Conner simply grinned.

"But where's the fun in that?" He questioned. Kira sighed and shook her head.

"What am I going to do with you?" She said.

"Careful, I might have some suggestions for that," he teased. Kira rolled her eyes.

"You really are like some horny teenager, aren't you?" She said. Conner chuckled.

"How can I not be when I've got you in my arms?" He replied. Kira sighed. The fact was, it was pretty hard to keep herself from making some suggestions of her own, it'd been a very lonely few years and it didn't help that the one she'd wanted for the past decade was the one holding her. But she wanted to stick to her resolve. Though, part of her knew it wasn't so much resolve that kept her from going that far. It was also the fact that being with Conner had been something that had invaded her dreams and fantasies for many years now. Her head was still spinning from every thing that had already happened. She wasn't sure if she could handle much else yet.

"True," she said, "but you're just going to have to try and behave yourself," she said. Conner sighed.

"I suppose," he said. "Well, as much as I wouldn't mind staying like this for a while, I should probably get you up to bed, huh?" He said. "And no, I am not assuming I would be joining you in that bed," he quickly added. Kira chuckled.

"Yeah, that'd be great." She commented. Conner smiled and carried her up the stairs to the main level of the house. Once they got there they found Tommy sitting in the dining room talking on his cell phone, while Trent could be seen standing against the counter in the kitchen on Kira's cordless phone and Ethan was in the living room on his phone. All three looked up as Conner seamlessly carried Kira and simply smirked, chuckled or shook their heads in amusement as the couple continued on their way. Once Conner got Kira up the stairs and to her room, he gently laid her on her bed.

"How's that?" He questioned. Kira sighed and shifted, making herself comfortable in her bed.

"It'll do," she joked. Conner smiled.

"All right, you get some rest. I'm going to take advantage of our three friends being distracted and claim whichever guest room I choose," he chuckled. He leaned over and placed a kiss on her forehead. Kira watched him as he got up and went to leave.

"You could do that," she said lightly, letting the preposition hang in the air. Conner stopped and looked at her.

"As supposed to what?" He asked. Kira shrugged.

"Getting some rest too?" She suggested. "With me?" Conner looked at her.

"I thought we discussed this..." He trailed off. Kira shook her head against her pillow.

"Conner, I'm not using 'getting some rest' as a euphemism for 'get over here and ravish me'," she said. "I just mean, rest," she said. Conner smirked.

"Are you sure it's not the ravish you option?" He asked. Kira gave him a playful look.

"Maybe...Maybe not." She replied.

"Well, make up your mind and I might be more inclined to take you up on that offer," he teased. Kira shrugged.

"Suit yourself," she said as she turned away from him in her bed. "Guest rooms are down the hall," she said. Conner rolled his eyes and went back over the bed, sitting down on the unoccupied side of it as he took his shoes off. Kira rolled over and looked at him.

"Changed your mind hmm?" She questioned. Conner sighed and settled into the bed beside her and pulled her into his arms.

"Don't look so smug," he said. Kira simply chuckled and laid her head on his chest.


	5. Chapter 5

The following day, Mia stood outside the diner waiting for Andy to come by and pick her up so they could go to Kira's house. The night before had been somewhat awkward as she had to sneak into her house so her parents didn't see her burnt sleeve and ask questions about it. She ended up having to climb up the fire escape after Andy dropped her off, sneak into her room, change her shirt and climb out of the fire escape to get in through the diner entrance so her parents didn't suspect anything. She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Take your sweet time, Andy," she muttered to herself. A few minutes later she saw his car coming up around the bend before pulling up to the diner. "It's about time," she said as she hopped off the sidewalk and made her way to the car. Without thinking, she pulled open the passenger side door only to see her usual seat in Andy's car was currently occupied.

"Hey sorry, I stopped to pick up Nathan on the way here," Andy explained. Mia frowned.

"He's in my seat," she blurted out in her surprise to see him sitting there. Nathan and Andy looked at each other before looking at her.

"So?" Nathan questioned. Andy peered at her.

"What, you expected him to crawl in the back when I got him?" He chuckled. Mia blinked and shook her head.

"Sorry, I just mean….well, I need to get in," she muttered, pointing out the fact that Andy's car was just a two door vehicle. Nathan nodded and got out of the car while Andy reached down and flipped the switch to push the seat forward. Neither Mia nor Nathan moved.

"Aren't you going to get in?" Nathan asked, looking at her. Mia shrugged.

"Well, since you're already out, you could-"

"Mia," Andy frowned.

"Ugh. Fine!" She grumbled before climbing into the backseat. Nathan chuckled as she crawled in the back and Andy pushed the seat back so he could get back in. "Backseat sucks," Mia muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well it's either backseat or you walk," Andy replied, catching her eye in the rearview mirror. Mia frowned and peered at him before shifting her eyes to Nathan for a second than looking back at her long time friend.

"Guess it'll have to do for now," she said. Andy grinned at Mia.

"Awesome." He replied as he put the car into gear. He looked at the rearview mirror as he prepared to back out of his parking spot only to stop suddenly as he saw something parked behind him. "What the hell?" He muttered.

"What's wrong?" Mia asked, shifting to look out the back window, there, right behind Andy's car was Christian, dismounting his bike before going over to Andy's side of the car. Andy rolled his eyes before sliding his window down.

"What are you doing here? We agreed to meet at Kira's place," he reminded him. Christian smirked as his eyes went over to Mia.

"Just wanted to make sure she had a ride," he said. Andy quirked his eyebrow at Christian before looking back at Mia.

"Hey, if you still have an issue with backseat-" his teasing tone was cut off by Mia delivering a sharp kick to the back of his seat. "Just thought I'd ask," he laughed. Mia made a face at him before looking at Christian.

"Just move your piece of crap bike out of the way, all right?" She spat out. "You're holding us up." Christian just threw his hands up in the air.

"Try and do a nice thing and you just get shit on." He muttered as he went back to his bike. Nathan turned and looked back at Mia.

"Looks like someone has a crush on someone," he said. Mia looked over at him and regarded him carefully, her lips lightly twitching as they wanted to go into a smirk before she quickly looked away.

"Yeah," she muttered softly, her eyes looking over at the rearview mirror where she saw Andy looking at her through it. "Looks like someone does," she said. She saw Andy's eyes widened a bit.

"I...don't know what you're talking about." He commented. Nathan turned back forward before throwing his gaze at Andy.

"Are you kidding? If the guy was any more obvious, he'd carry a sign around his neck saying 'Christian hearts Mia'," he chuckled.

"He just gets a kick out of being an ass, he's not seriously crushing on me," Mia said. She looked out the back window and watched as Christian turned his bike around and rode off.

"Uh huh... Sure." Nathan replied. "And you wouldn't happen to have any feelings for him, would you?" Mia snapped back forward so fast she resembled a spinning top for a moment.

"Oh yes," she hissed, "homophobic jerks with their heads stuck up their asses really do it for me," she said. She looked over at Andy. "Can we go?"

"Sure." Andy commented as he drove off.

--

Kira turned over in her bed as sleep left her, giving a gentle moan as her legs stretched out in bed, as she did when she woke up every morning. She yawned slightly, stretching her arm out.

"Ow!" Came a voice as her hand accidentally smacked against something. Kira quickly sat up and turned to see Conner slowly sitting up, gingerly rubbing his eye. She blinked for a moment, confused. This was certainly different from every other morning.

"Um, hi?" She offered. Conner looked at her.

"Well, that's certainly an interesting way to wake someone up," he muttered. Kira blinked as the hazy confusion of just waking up lifted and she remembered everything that had made today different than any previous day.

"Sorry," she said. She scratched her head gently and looked out her window to see the morning sun shinning brightly. "I can't believe we slept through the whole night," she mused. Conner nodded before shrugging a bit.

"Guess we were pretty comfortable," he said. Kira smiled.

"Yeah, guess so," she said. Conner grinned.

"Won't lie, I enjoyed waking up next you... Until you tried to take my eye out." Kira chuckled gently.

"I did say I was sorry," she said. She shifted a bit until she was sitting a bit closer to him. "As for waking up next to me, play your cards right and it might happen again," she said coyly. Conner grinned.

"I just might have to do that." He replied. Kira smiled and went to kiss him when a knock on her door stopped her. She sighed and sat back before looking at the door.

"Come in," she called out. The door opened as Trent poked his head in.

"Hey, just wanted to let you guys know Ethan made some pancakes so you might want to come on down and eat before the kids get here," he said.

"We'll be down in a minute," she said. Trent nodded and backed out of the room, shutting the door as he left.

"Hmm, I could go for pancakes," Conner mused, his stomach giving a quiet grumble. Kira smiled.

"Ethan seems to be convinced that I never eat a good breakfast so every time he plays houseguest, he goes all out. Last time he was here he made eggs benedict," she chuckled. Conner raised an eyebrow.

"Man, I should invite Ethan to visit me once in a while," he muttered. Kira grinned.

"He says that he likes doing it, so I don't mind... Saves me from going through a mountain of Nutrigrain bars." She replied. Conner looked at her.

"That's all you eat for breakfast?" He questioned. "No wonder you're as thin as a rail." He muttered. Kira frowned.

"I'm not thin as a rail," she muttered, looking down self consciously. She shrugged. "I'm rushing about in the morning; I don't have time for a big heavy meal or anything."

"But cereal bars? Not even a bowl of cereal or a muffin or something?" He replied. Kira shrugged.

"They're small and portable, I can just eat them on my drive to work and not worry about my clothes getting covered in too many crumbs," she said. Conner just sighed in reply.

"It being small is the problem," Conner pointed out after a moment. Kira rolled her eyes.

"All right, can we get off my eating habits?" She said her tone slightly snappish. Conner sighed again.

"Okay, okay, sorry," he said. He gave her a sheepish smile. "I had to take some health and nutrition classes to get my certification as a gym teacher, if you recall," he said, "I guess sometimes the 'this is the right way to eat' stuff just comes out of my mouth. Believe me there have been times when I've driven Tommy almost to the point of strangling me just so I'll shut up." Kira chuckled.

"Well, I can think of less violent ways to shut you up."

"Oh really?" Conner questioned as he stood. "Such as?" Kira grinned and rose up on her knees on the bed and shuffled closer to him. Once she was close enough she put her arms around his neck and drew him closer to her before giving him a soft kiss. "Hmm, very effective," Conner mused once they parted.

"That it is," she said.

"I just might have to develop a babbling habit," he chuckled. "I'll just talk and talk and talk and you'll just have to constantly shut me up," he said.

"Conner, I have better things to do than just shut you up all day," she said with a playful tone.

"Like what?" He replied playfully as he tickled her side. Kira squired against him as she erupted in a giggling fit.

"Stop," she said, trying to wiggle out away from his fingers. Conner simply chuckled and continued tickling her as the two fell back on the bed, Conner landed on top of her, laughing as he tickled her and Kira squirming beneath him. The two were so caught up in their playing they didn't hear the door open.

"Alright sleepy head, wake-WHOA!" Came a voice. The two instantly froze and looked up to see Mia standing there. Seconds later, Trent rushed up behind her.

"I tried to stop her, but she just barged up here all impatient like," he quickly said, apologizing to Kira and Conner. He paused as he took into account the position the two were in. "All right, we'll just go back downstairs and let you…….uh………I mean…….yeah you just take your time…..I mean……yeah we'll be downstairs," he muttered, grabbing Mia's wrist and pulling her out with one hand and pulling the door shut with the other. Kira and Conner were silent for a moment before Conner groaned.

"Worst.Timing.Ever." He muttered.

"Yup," Kira sighed. "We should get up anyway," she said. Conner nodded.

"I know...but I really don't want to." He replied. Kira sighed and placed a kiss on the side of his head.

"Same here," she said. "But we have to." Conner groaned again before nodding and getting up and taking her hand in his to help her up. Kira slid her hand into his and stood up. "Think of it this way," she said softly, placing a quick kiss on his lips, "the sooner we deal with them, the sooner they'll go away and we can…" She paused, letting her voice trail off. Conner raised an eyebrow at her.

"Can what?" He asked. Kira shrugged.

"I think we'll let your imagination figure the rest out." She replied coyly.

"Are you sure?" Conner asked gently, putting a hand at the back of her neck and letting his fingers gently trail down her back, causing her to bite her lip and shiver slightly. "Cause, my imagination could run pretty wild," he said.

"Oh really?" Kira asked. Conner nodded. He slowly lowered his face to hers to kiss her when an insistent banging on the door stopped him.

"All right you two get out of each other's pants and come out already," Mia's voice rang out. Conner sighed.

"I really do hate that girl," Conner muttered. Kira chuckled.

"Starting to myself," she replied. Conner sighed and went over to the door and pulled it open to reveal Mia standing there with her arms crossed.

"What happened to Trent?" Conner asked, expecting to see the former white ranger standing behind her since he had pulled her away before.

"The lure of pancakes proved to be too strong and he left me to my own devices," she replied.

"Huh," Conner said, nodding slightly, "remind me to kill him later," he said before brushing past her as he left the room. Mia smirked before turning her gaze on Kira.

"Looks like someone had herself a fun night last night," Mia mused. Kira sighed and brushed her hands over her clothes, smoothing out the slight wrinkles sleeping in them had caused, before walking past Mia.

"Mia, please remember that I am your teacher and therefore we will not be having that sort of conversation," she said, forcing her voice into the most authoritative tone she could muster. Mia smiled.

"I thought you said that you're not my teacher now, given that it's summer," she replied. Kira frowned.

"When it comes to my personal life, I'm your teacher year round," she said. Mia snorted.

"That's no fun." She replied.

"It's not supposed to be," Kira responded. Mia opened her mouth to give a snarky reply but Kira held her hand up, as if anticipating it. "It'd be in your best interest to not say one word," she said. Mia shut her mouth and smirked.

"I suppose you're right," she said. Kira nodded.

"All right then," she said. Kira smiled. "Come on; let's get some of those pancakes."

"Uh, you go right ahead," Mia said as Kira left the room and began going to the stairs, Mia falling in step beside her. "You live right above a diner for most of your life, you get your fill of pancakes, waffles and all those other things for breakfast," she said as the two descended the stairs together. Kira laughed.

"Understandable...How about some toast and juice?" Mia nodded.

"Sounds good," she said. "I was going to try and swipe some muffins and danishes from the diner but I figured my mom would've figured it wasn't just for me and Andy and asked questions," she shrugged. "And since it was too early for my creative mind to work on weaving a tale for whatever questions she might've asked, I just scrapped the idea entirely." Kira chuckled.

"Got'cha," she said. The two walked into the dining room to find Tommy, Trent, Conner, Andy, Nathan and Christian sitting at her table as Ethan came out of the kitchen, a serving plate full of pancakes in hand. Kira grinned as Ethan set the plate down in the middle of the table.

"Dig in." He commented. Kira smiled and took a seat beside Conner. She looked over at Mia.

"Help yourself to the bread and juice in the kitchen," she commented. Mia nodded and went to go to the kitchen only to have Ethan block her way.

"What, the pancakes I slaved over a hot stove for aren't good enough for you?" He commented, a light smile playing on his lips to indicate he was teasing her.

"Yeah, that's it," Mia smirked before sliding past him to the kitchen. Ethan put his hand on his chest.

"How sad!" He cried dramatically.

"Oh don't mind her," Andy said as he poked his fork into some pancakes to put on his plate. "Her parents are convinced you need a complete breakfast to function in school, which isn't so hard to do when you've got a diner kitchen at your disposal and are cooking for the breakfast seeking masses anyway. It's a marvel they all don't have syrup coming out of their ears from it all."

"Oh we do, we just make sure to keep lots of q-tips in the medicine cabinet," Mia's chuckling voice rang out from the confines of the kitchen.

"Well, that's an interesting mental picture," Nathan muttered as he served himself some of the pancakes.

"Agreed." Conner replied. By the time Mia returned to the dining room with her toast and glass of orange juice, the others were all enjoying their pancake breakfast. She sat down next to Andy and took a bite of her toast.

"How is it?" Kira questioned. Mia chuckled and brushed some crumbs off the side of her mouth.

"Toast-arific," she commented. Kira chuckled.

"Well, that's good," she said. Mia looked over at Andy and nudged him gently.

"So, how do they compare to my dad's?" She muttered to him.

"They're different, I'll give you that," he whispered to her, which caused Mia to bite back a snort. Ethan set his fork down and looked at the two friends.

"You do realize I'm sitting right here, right?" He said. "Oh was what you sitting there? Silly us, I thought you were someone else." Mia kidded. Andy chuckled. Ethan narrowed his eyes at the teen.

"As much as I'm sure Busquick might not compare to what you're used to, I'll gather they're a whole lot better than bread and water," he said. Andy quickly shut up and quickly stuffed a piece of pancake in his mouth.

"These pancakes rule," he said, nodding.

"Andy, babe, remember what I always tell you--swallow your food before you speak," Mia chuckled. On the other side of Andy, Nathan watched the interaction between the two.

"You're both insane." He muttered as he chewed on his pancakes. Conner chuckled.

"I think they're entertaining," he said.

"That's because they remind you of you and Kira when you were their age," Trent pointed out with a light laugh. Mia snorted at that.

"Uh I really don't think me and Andy and Conner and Kira is an accurate comparison," she snickered. She paused a moment as a thought came to her. "Well…." She mused idly. She blinked, shaking her head. "Never mind," she muttered, taking a bite out of her toast.

"What?" Andy asked, confused. Mia gave him a pointed look. "What?" He asked, still lost. Mia rolled her eyes.

"I'll explain later," she said.

"Hey now, it's not nice to keep private secrets in public company," Christian said. Mia rolled her eyes.

"If I want to hear your thoughts on any matters, I'll let you know," she bit out.

"Oh how nice of you." Christian snapped.

"All right if you two can't say anything nice to one another than just don't address each other," Kira interjected.

"Hey, don't look at me, she's the one acting like something crawled up her ass and died," Christian grumbled. He sent a smirk Mia's way. "Maybe if she had someone doing the crawling, she wouldn't be so crabby," he said. Mia glared at him before shoving her plate away.

"I've suddenly lost my appetite," she mumbled before getting up from the table. "I'll be outside, call me when the whole being productive thing begins," she said as she stormed out of the house. Conner shot a glare at Christian.

"Keep it in your pants." He snapped. Christian shrugged.

"It was just a joke," he sighed.

"Maybe you should just quit it with the jokes then," Andy snapped. He pushed his chair back. "I'm going to go see if she's okay," he said. Christian just sighed as Andy stormed out of the kitchen. Nathan looked at Christian.

"Maybe you just shouldn't talk."

"Why don't you take your own advice, geek?" Christian shot back. Ethan sighed.

"Maybe I used the bread and water threat on the wrong kid," he muttered to Kira, Conner, Trent and Tommy. Kira looked at Nathan and Christian.

"Stop it. Both of you." She commanded. She looked at Christian. "What did I tell you about the attitude?" Christian rolled his eyes and simply returned to eating his pancakes. Outside, Andy walked out of the house to find Mia sitting on Kira's porch steps. He sighed and settled down beside her.

"You okay?" He asked. Mia shrugged.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. She looked over at him, smiling. "I'm touched. You left being in such close proximity to your new crush to come check on me?" She teased, nudging his shoulder gently with her own. Andy looked away.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he muttered. Mia grinned.

"Yes you do...And I think that I approve." She replied. Andy rolled his eyes.

"I swear I have no idea-" He was cut off by Mia's knowing look. "Fine, but even if I do know what you're talking about, we're forgetting a factor that makes whether or not you approve irrelevant," he said.

"Hey, I'm the best friend, my approval is of the utmost importance," she joked. "Anyway, what factor am I forgetting?"

"Oh, I don't know, the fact that he's straight," Andy said. Mia raised an eyebrow at him.

"I don't recall him saying anything about where his interests lie. Did he say something when you guys were alone in your car before picking me up?" She said, a slight teasing tone in her voice. Andy gave her a light shove.

"No, that topic didn't come up, but believe me, he's straight, I can tell," he replied. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Uh huh, sure he is." She replied.

"Whatever, fine, even if he isn't, that doesn't necessarily mean he'd go for me," he said. Mia smiled and gently pinched his cheek.

"Oh, who in their right mind could resist you?" She cooed playfully.

"Oh, I don't know... Him?" He questioned. He sighed, shaking his head. "Anyway, we're not here to talk about me, are you sure you're okay?" He asked. Mia nodded.

"Yeah...I'm just going to have to get used to it." She replied. Andy shrugged.

"We've known Christian since freshman year; the guy's always been an ass. Unfortunately now he's not some jerk we can just ignore in the hallways," Andy grumbled. Mia sighed.

"Yeah, I mean….of all the people that could've come along and revealed they had powers too, why the hell did it have to be him?" She said. She frowned and looked away. Andy looked at her.

"He's getting under your skin, isn't he?" He asked. Mia looked at him.

"What? Him? As if," she scoffed. Andy gave her a look. "Fine, maybe," she said. She sighed. "He's just……..I don't get it…..The other night, when he came by the diner and apologized…….He seemed really nice and sincere and……" She shook her head. "And he just turned around and resumed the role of jerk." Andy shrugged.

"You know that's how he is." Andy replied. Mia sighed.

"And the whole him showing up at the diner today to 'check if I had a ride'," she said, twitching her index and middle fingers into air quotes. "I just don't get it," she sighed.

"Do you want to get it?" Andy teased. Mia smacked his leg.

"You know what I mean." She replied. Andy smiled.

"I think he likes you." He replied. He frowned. "Though, I don't know if I can say I approve," he said. "He is a jerk."

"Well, it doesn't matter, because I don't like him," Mia reminded him. Andy shrugged.

"Things change." He teased. Mia rolled her eyes.

"All right, let's get off this subject, shall we?" She said. Andy grinned.

"Fine." He replied. "How about you explain to me the thing before, about comparing us to Kira and Conner?" Mia chuckled.

"Let's just say a position I found them in when they were in her room resembled the summer before sophomore year," she said. Andy paused as he tried to understand what she meant before it suddenly dawned on him. "Except I don't think they'll have the same problem we did," she chuckled. Andy rolled his eyes.

"Okay, you're the one who wanted to 'try things out'. I can't help it if things didn't respond right away," he said. Mia chuckled.

"Excuse me? If I remember things correctly, you weren't objecting too much Mr. In Denial at the Time," she said.

"You're just upset because you're seduction attempts were a little forced," he teased. Mia's mouth fell open before she shoved his shoulder.

"Lies!" She laughed. "If I recall, you were the one doing the seduction attempts."

"Let's remember who kissed who first," he pointed out.

"I do!" Mia chuckled. "You kissed me first!"

"I so did not!" Andy replied.

"Did too!" She exclaimed.

"Fine, let's just say that it was me," he said, rolling his eyes. "I do remember that you were the one who upped the ante," he teased.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Mia huffed. Andy chuckled.

"Uh huh, sure," he replied. "Who was it that swiped the condom from Tony's room?" He pointed out.

"Only because you were too chicken to!" She replied.

"Uh huh, you go ahead and remember your version of things and I'll remember what really happened," Andy chuckled. Mia just rolled her eyes and shoved Andy again.

"Whatever." She replied.

"You realize that if any of the others came out here while we were talking about that, things would've gotten awkward, right?" He chuckled.

"And that's why we never told anyone." She replied.

"Never told anyone what?" Came a voice. Both teens jumped up and turned to see Nathan standing there.

"All right, you seriously need to stop sneaking up on us like that," Mia said. Nathan shrugged.

"Sorry...Just came out to tell you two that Kira is gonna show us that...stuff?"

"All right, we'll be right in," Andy said. Nathan nodded.

"Okay," he said before turning around and going back in the house.

"That was too close," Andy sighed. Mia grinned.

"Aw, you don't want your crush to find out about that? So cute," she said, pinching his cheek. Andy pushed her hand away.

"Knock it off," he said.

"Fine, I'm sorry." She replied. "Shall we go in?" She said. Andy nodded. Mia stepped back on the porch and walked into the house with Andy following her. They saw Nathan standing in the living room, waiting for them.

"Everyone's downstairs," he informed. Mia and Andy nodded.

"Lead the way," Mia smiled. Nathan nodded and turned towards the stairs. Mia stepped back to let Andy follow close behind him. Andy gave her a slight shove before following Nathan. Mia chuckled and followed him. As the three went down the stairs and into the lab Trent turned.

"Nice of you to join us." He commented.

"Aw, did you miss us?" Mia replied.

"Not in the slightest." Christian grumbled. Mia shot him a look.

"Good," she spat out. She turned and looked at the others. "All right, so we're all present and accounted for, what now?" She asked. Kira stepped forward with a box and opened it before the teens.

"This might sound strange, but you all need to hold your hands out over these coins."

"Why?" Andy asked.

"We need to check something out," Conner said.

"Check what out?" Mia asked.

"We need to see if they'll react to you," Ethan explained. The teens blinked.

"Okay," Andy said slowly, "and just so we're clear, do we want them to react or not react?" Andy asked.

"Well, I guess it all depends on how keen you are on the whole becoming power rangers plan," Conner shrugged. Christian and Nathan, having not heard of this before, stared at him.

"Becoming what?" Nathan breathed out.

"I'm not repeating myself." Conner replied.

"We need to become power rangers to deal with Lady Pain in the Ass," Andy explained. Nathan nodded.

"Uh, okay, yeah that makes sense," he said.

"All right, so who wants to go first?" Kira asked. Nobody moved forward. Kira sighed.

"Don't make me pick." Kira groaned. Mia sighed.

"All right, I'll go first since the males are too chicken to volunteer," she said, stepping forward. She slowly approached the box. Once she was close enough, she saw Tommy move up behind her. She sent him a questioning look.

"Just to make sure if you….uh…have an intense reaction, you don't hit your head," Kira explained. Mia gave her a look.

"You're all nuts." She muttered before holding her hand out over the box. "So, do they all have to react or…" her voice trailed off as her eyes fell on the white coin. She grew quiet as she stared at the coin intently.

"Mi?" Andy asked.

"Shh," Conner said, holding a hand up. Mia heard the voice around her go quiet only seconds before the room began to spin as the coin shot up into her hand. Her eyes fluttered as she swayed slightly on her feet. Tommy stepped up and grabbed her arm, afraid she was about to collapse like Kira had. Mia blinked, shaking her head slightly.

"Are you all right?" Tommy asked. Mia looked up at him.

"Um, yeah, I think so," she muttered, still slightly dazed. She looked down at her hand and saw the white coin in her grasp, glowing. "Okay, that's a little freaky," she announced.

"What's freaky?" Christian asked. Mia stepped out of Tommy's grasp and turned to the others before opening her hand a bit to show the coin.

"Whoa," Andy breathed out. "So my guess is those aren't your average every day quarters," he chuckled.

"Why didn't she have the same reaction as you?" Trent asked Kira, who only shrugged in response.

"It might be that Mia already had powers, unlike Kira, so Kir's reaction to the coin was more intense," Ethan theorized. Mia turned to Kira.

"You've got a coin?" She asked. Kira nodded.

"Yeah..." She trailed off. Mia smiled and nodded.

"Cool, was beginning to worry I'd be all alone in a sea of testosterone during this little mission." Christian gave a snort as he tried to stop himself from making a sarcastic comment to that. Everyone else chose to ignore it.

"So, you've got powers now, like us?" Andy questioned. Kira looked at him and studied him for a moment before chuckling.

"Yes I do, but I'm sorry it's not 'heart', we won't be calling on Captain Planet." Andy's mouth fell open.

"How did you…"

"Guess that answers what her power is," Mia mused.

"I'm lost here," Christian said.

"She's apparently a telepath," Nathan figured, before looking at Kira. "Am I right?"

"Got it in one," Kira stated. Nathan grinned.

"That's a pretty awesome power." He replied. "Can we trade?" He joked. Kira laughed.

"I don't think so," she said.

"All right," Mia said, tossing her coin in the air and catching it. "Who's next?" Christian groaned.

"I am." He muttered as he stepped forward. Mia stepped aside.

"Go on then," she said. Christian simply shook his head before coming to a stop before the box.

"So, I just hold my hand over them, and then what?" He asked.

"Just wait and see," Mia replied. Christian just looked at her.

"Okay." He replied softly before focusing back on the coins. He held his hand over the box.

"Feel anything?" Mia asked.

"What am I supposed to be….." His voice trailed off as eyes went to the red coin.

"Why can't anyone finish a sentence?" Andy voiced the rhetorical question. Nathan shrugged.

"Dramatic effect?" He said. Over by the box, Christian felt as if all his senses were being muted except for the coin caught in his gaze. The coin sprang up to his hand and he stumbled back a bit, nearly colliding into Mia. Out of reflex, her hands went up around his waist to steady him.

"Give it a second," she said, understanding whatever dizziness or unsteadiness he was experiencing, "it'll pass." Christian took a deep breath, closing his eyes. After a moment the dizziness passed.

"Thanks." He replied softly to her. Mia nodded. Andy's eyes narrowed as he saw she wasn't releasing him. He cleared his throat sharply, causing Mia to jump a bit before quickly letting go of Christian.

"Yeah, uh, don't mention it," she muttered. Kira smiled softly, catching the interaction between the two.

"Who's next?" She questioned.

"I guess I am," Nathan shrugged as he stepped forward. Christian moved aside to make room for him. "Alright," he said, "here goes." He put his hand over the two coins, waiting. He only had to wait a few seconds before he felt the world go quiet around him and the green coin shot into his hand. He took a few dazed steps back only to be caught by Mia and Christian.

"Just go with it, Nate" Christian advised. Nathan nodded, closing his eyes as he let the dizziness pass.

"Hey," he said after a moment, looking at Christian, smirking. "You didn't call me geek boy," he chuckled.

"Hmm, maybe the coin made him a little nicer," Mia snickered. Christian just shot Mia a glance and didn't say anything for a moment.

"Maybe." He replied.

"So, what's left?" Andy said, taking a step forward, he peered over to see that only the blue coin remained. "Aw, blue?" He frowned. "I wanted the red one." Christian smirked and held up his hand, showing off that he had the red coin.

"So that would be a temporary niceness then?" Mia mused before looking at Andy and giving him a smile. "I told you you'd look good in blue," she said.

"Uh, it's not definite yet," Tommy spoke up, causing the others to look at him.

"What do you mean?" Nathan asked. "It's the only one left."

"But there's still a chance that there won't be a reaction," Ethan pointed out. Andy frowned.

"Well that's….nice?" He said. Mia rolled her eyes.

"It's just a miniscule chance, I'm sure," she said. "Come on over here and get the coin already," she said. Andy shrugged and stepped up and held his hand up. After a few seconds, his brows furrowed.

"Nothing's happening," he muttered. Mia looked at him.

"What do you mean, nothing's happening?" She asked.

"I mean nothing's happening," Andy replied. He sighed and went to pull his hand away when Kira shifted the box to hold it in one hand and stopped his hand with her free one.

"You're putting too much pressure on yourself," she said. "Just relax and give it a few minutes before giving up." Andy looked at her before slowly nodding. He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. The others watched on intently as they waited for something to happen.

"Come on, come on," Mia whispered as she hoped for the coin to react. Andy was her best friend and she wasn't sure she could do this if he wasn't there right beside her. Beside her, Nathan put a hand on her shoulder as they all waited. Andy was about to give up and pull his hand away when he felt all sounds leave his ears and he felt the blue coin shoot up to his hand. He let out a sigh and moved back until he felt Nathan's hand his back, holding him up. "Yes!" Mia said, giving a joyous squeal.

"Glad to see I can help?" Andy muttered as he drew a few deep breaths.

"Just breath," Nathan told him gently as he rubbed Andy's back. Mia turned to look at the two and bit back a smile. _Straight and/or not interested, my ass_ she thought to herself.

"Thanks," Andy said as he felt the dizziness start to fade away.

"Anytime." Nathan replied softly.

"I'm sure," Mia muttered, causing the guys to look at her.

"What was that?" Nathan asked.

"Oh nothing!" Mia replied, smiling at Nathan and Andy. Andy shrugged and stood up straight.

"So, now what?" Christian asked. Just seconds after Christian asked, the alarms began to sound.

"You just had to ask didn't you?" Trent muttered.

"What's that?" Mia asked.

"The monitoring system," Ethan explained as he went over to the computer. "Seems like you guys got your coins just in time," he said.

"Thank god." Mia muttered. "No more getting my ass kicked by bitchface," she shrugged. Kira, Conner, Trent, Tommy and Ethan all shared a look as they all shared the same thought. _Oh no, you still have a chance of getting your ass kicked, just not as easily………we hope. _

"Here's hoping that she doesn't kick our asses." Christian commented. Over by the computer, Ethan hit a few keys on the keyboard before an image came on the screen.

"She's in the park," he announced.

"How shocking." Andy commented.

"Seems like she's not one for originality." Kira muttered.

"Well seeing as bitchface did the vice like chokehold on me twice, I'd have to agree with that," Mia said, gently rubbing her neck at the memory of the villain's fingers around her neck.

"Not scared of facing her again, are you?" Christian asked. "Cause if you are," he added, shrugging. "I'll protect you." Mia threw a glare his way.

"I'll be fine." She replied. Christian put his hands up.

"I'm just saying," he said. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Well I don't need you to 'just say'," she shot back.

"Okay, why don't you use the sniping for the real enemy?" Kira sighed. Mia smirked.

"I thought I was," she joked. Kira glared at Mia. "Fine!" Mia replied.

"You guys better go," Ethan advised. The new rangers all nodded before turning around and racing up the stairs. Kira went to follow when Conner caught her hand.

"Be careful," he said. Kira gave him a small smile and nodded. Conner released her hand and watched her go after the others. The five rangers ran out of the house.

"We'll take my car," Kira said, figuring her four door would be less cumbersome at this moment than Andy's two door.

"Uh, I'm taking my bike." Christian commented.

"Alright," Kira nodded as the other four climbed into her car and Christian mounted his bike. Within seconds the air was filled with engines coming to life as the two vehicles sped away.


	6. Chapter 6

The rangers pulled up to the park to see people running from the park in a frenzy panic. "Something tells me that she's here." Nathan commented. Kira turned and looked at him.

"What ever gave you that idea?" She questioned. Christian shut off his bike and nearly missed being knocked over by a group of people running in the opposite direction.

"Jeez, the way these folks are running, you'd think someone's offering a free car to the first twenty people or something," he muttered as he and the other rangers left the vehicles and stood together.

"I can only imagine what psycho Sue is doing to get all these people spooked," Andy mused. His answer soon came when they saw a ball of black energy hit a fleeing teenage girl on the back, knocking her down.

"Oh my god," Mia muttered. The five of them went to the girl's side, Kira and Mia reaching her first and kneeling by her. The girl groaned as she slowly got up.

"Are you all right?" Kira asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. The girl nodded slowly.

"Yeah…" She said, her voice wavering in fear. "Yeah, I think so," she said.

"Do you think you can get up?" Mia asked. The girl gave a shaky nod before getting up. Kira and Mia stood up as well.

"Look out!" Christian said before grabbing Mia's arm and pulling her backwards. Mia turned to see a ball of energy land on the spot of grass she'd just been standing on. The ball cackled on the grass before vanishing. Mia looked at Christian.

"Thanks," she said. Christian simply nodded in response. Nathan grabbed the girl by her shoulder.

"You should run, now," he said. The girl nodded, not needing to be told twice, and joined the herd of people running out of the park.

"Ah, I was wondering when you all would show up," came a voice. The rangers spun to see the park had mostly cleared out leaving only them and Vengakix, who was approaching them with a smug look on her face.

"And we're wondering when you're gonna send yourself back to Hell." Andy snapped. Vengakix glared at him. Suddenly, a long thin whip appeared in her hand. The others barely had time to react before she lashed out with the whip, the end wrapping around Andy's neck.

"How dare you speak to me in such a way?" She growled.

"Andy!" Mia exclaimed, going over and trying to disentangle the whip from her friend's neck. Vengakix gave a sharp tug on the whip, bringing Andy and subsequently Mia, down to their knees as Andy gasped for breath around the now even tighter object around his neck. Vengakix smirked.

"Bow before your queen," she said.

"You ain't our queen, bitch," Christian growled before placing his hand on the whip and concentrating. Flames came out of his hand as he set fire to where he was touching the whip, melting it in half within seconds. Andy gasped, falling backwards and knocking Mia down along with him as he tried to suck in a few deep breaths. Mia quickly pulled what was left of the whip off his neck and tossed it aside.

"Are you okay?" She questioned. Andy nodded, rubbing his neck. He looked up at Christian.

"Thanks, man," he said. Christian nodded.

"Anytime." He replied. Nathan looked down at Andy before turning his now hate filled gaze to Vengakix.

"You really shouldn't have done that," he muttered. His eyes narrowed at the rock hill located near the edge of the park. After some concentration the entire hill floated up off the ground. Vengakix turned as the rocks began to tumble towards her. Just as the rocks were about to hit her, she held a hand up, stopping them in mid air. Nathan's eyes widened for a moment before he furrowed his brow, trying to force the rocks to her, only to see that they were not moving. Vengakix slowly turned to them, a smile coming to her lips. Kira's eyes widened. She didn't need to use her powers to get where this was heading.

"Get down!" She yelled, grabbing hold of Nathan's shoulder and shoving him to the ground as she threw herself to the ground while Andy and Mia reached up and each grabbed Christian's shirt, pulling him down sheer moments before the entire hill of rocks came soaring through the air over their heads. Behind them, the rocks exploded in a shower of dust and little rock particles.

"You foolish humans think you're so much smarter than I am." She sneered.

"I don't know about you guys, but I think it's time we use our new little toys," Andy muttered to his companions.

"I agree." Christian replied.

"Let's take this bitch down," Mia said. Kira and Nathan nodded their agreement as the five rose to their feet.

"You guys ready?" Kira asked.

"Oh yeah," Nathan said. Vengakix chuckled.

"Oh, are you going to put on a little show?" She sneered.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Mia snapped. The five rangers pulled out their coins from their pockets.

"Uh, small question," Andy muttered. "How do we make these things work?"

"You know," Kira replied, keeping her eyes on Vengakix. It was the best way she could explain it. She remembered back when she, Conner and Ethan first morphed into their ranger personas. There was no instruction manual with their gems, Tommy didn't give them a quick lesson before they went into battle, they just instinctively knew. Their connections to the gems had wordlessly told them what to do.

"If you say so." Nathan replied. As he said it though, he could feel something inside of him, some knowledge he now possessed that he knew hadn't been there before. Without asking, he knew the others felt it too.

"Let's stop gabbing and do this then," Mia hissed. Kira looked at her from the corner of her eye and nodded before taking a step forward. The instincts that came from this new power took over and she stretched her arm out in front of herself, palm facing upwards as the coin glowed under the sun's gaze.

"Yellow ranger," she spoke as her other hand went up and covered her hand, the fingers interlocking, "power up!" In a sharp and swift movement, she brought her connected hands back to herself, her wrists hitting her chest as from her grasp came an explosion of yellow that hit her torso and expanded, encasing her entire form until she was covered from head to toe in a bright yellow uniform. The uniform somewhat resembled the one from her high school days except the helmet was completely smooth and round, without any raised edges, and the visor was thinner, taking up the space of just her eyes as supposed to going down to the tip of her nose. Instead of the dinosaur footprint insignia on her chest, like she was used to, the front of the uniform had nothing except zigzagging patterns of yellow and gray that mirrored the ones on her arms and legs, much like the splashes of white in her uniform from many years ago. Another similarity could be seen in the form of the small skirt affixed around her waist with the yellow and gray belt of her weapon's holster and the yellow boots on her feet. "Snazzy!" Mia commented as she stepped forward.

"White ranger, power up!" She called. Her movements mirrored that of Kira's as her body was covered by a white colored version of the older female's uniform.

"Man, I really hope we don't all have to wear the skirt," Christian muttered as he stepped forward. "Red ranger, power up!" He bellowed before transforming into his own uniform. Much to his relief, the uniform was a red version of the other two in every fashion except for the skirt. "Ha, win." He commented as Andy stepped forward.

"Blue ranger, power up!" He called. After repeating the movements that felt like second nature as it had for the others, his body was covered in a uniform identical to Christian's except it was blue instead of red. Nathan stepped forward.

"And last but not least," he smirked, "Green ranger, power up!" He called out before going into the motions. He was covered from head to toe in an outfit like Christian's and Andy's, except it was green.

"Oh how fancy." Vengakix snarled as she stepped forward. "But little colored outfits will do nothing to stop me!"

"Get over yourself." Andy muttered.

"Besides," Mia said, grinning inside her helmet as her hand went towards her hip, "these 'little colored outfits' come packing heat," she said, lightly patting the holster at her right hip.

"Oh, I'm so afraid." Vengakix muttered as she drew her hands to her side and gathered a sphere of dark energy. The sphere grew to the size of an average head before hurling it at the rangers. As the sphere arched through the air, Kira pulled out the blaster from the holster at her left hip in a lighting flash motion and shot at it, causing the sphere to give a crackling sound as it dissipated.

"You should be," Kira sneered. Vengakix laughed.

"Please, I've beat you before... I'll beat you again." She replied.

"Are we going to just stand here and chat all day, or are we going to kick Goth priss's ass?" Christian grumbled.

"Let's do it." Nathan commented. The team nodded to one another before charging at Vengakix. Vengakix screamed as she began to hurtle sphere of energy at the rangers, who easily dodged them. Christian drew his blaster and aimed a shot at Vengakix's arm. Vengakix gave a pained shriek and drew her arm to herself, cradling it at her side with her good one.

"You'll pay for that!" She growled.

"Right, that's what they all say." Kira replied as she took a shot at Vengakix's leg. Vengakix quickly jumped out of the way of the blast, soaring through the air before landing behind her. Kira quickly spun around just in time to be at the receiving end of a high heeled foot slamming into her chest. Kira let out an "oomph" noise as she stumbled to the ground.

"That wasn't very nice," Mia stated as she charged at Vengakix, delivering a kick to her side. "Playing nice is overrated!" Vengakix snapped as she blasted Mia with an energy sphere, sending her careening to the ground.

"Mi!" Andy exclaimed, going to her side as she pushed herself up to a sitting position, groaning.

"Well, at least she's not going for my neck anymore," she said half jokingly. Andy chuckled and helped her get up on her feet. Vengakix moved towards Andy and Mia, arms outstretched, when two blasts from either side caught her in the hips. She screamed loudly as she went down, the energy spheres in her hands flying off in different directions.

"Back off." Nathan said coolly as he and Christian stood nearby, side by side with blasters in hand. Vengakix pushed herself up to her feet, groaning from the aches in her body from the tandem blasts thanks to Christian and Nathan.

"I'm done playing with you children," she snarled.

"Don't hurry back." Christian called as she disappeared into thin air.

"Whoo! We kicked some evil bitch ass!" Andy hollered as the five of them morphed back into their everyday clothes.

"I gotta agree with the Andster there," Mia grinned. "She ran off with her skeezy tale between her skeezy legs." Kira looked at them.

"Good job guys...Let's head back." She commented. The others nodded as they gathered together and made their way back to the vehicles. Andy grinned and threw his arms around Mia and Nathan.

"I say we all go out for celebratory ice cream," he said, nudging Mia. "Maybe you can pay up on the years of ice cream cones you owe me," he joked. Mia laughed.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" She replied happily. Kira chuckled, shaking her head.

"Let's go check in with the others first," she suggested.

"Oh all right," Andy replied, heaving an exaggerated sigh.

"Don't sound so broken hearted." Christian commented. Andy simply shrugged as they finally got to the parked vehicles. Kira, Andy and Nathan climbed into Kira's car as Christian mounted his bike. Mia went to get in the car when she stopped, turning back to Christian. He looked over at her, noticing her pause. "What?" He asked, going to put his bike helmet on. Mia looked back at the others before looking at him.

"I just wanted to say…thanks, for what you did for Andy….you know, the whip predicament," she muttered. Christian shrugged.

"I would have done the same if it was anyone else." He replied sincerely. Mia nodded.

"Yeah, just…wanted to say thanks," she said. She paused and gave him a look. "And that's not an invitation for one of your stupid comments or jokes," she said pointing a finger at him.

"Come on Mi, the sooner we get back, the sooner we get ice cream!" Andy called out from his seat in the car. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Coming!" She replied, laughing as she moved towards the car.

"You sure you don't want to ride with me?" Christian called after her. Mia tightened her jaw before turning back to him.

"What'd I say about your stupid jokes?" She said. Christian shrugged.

"It was an offer, not a joke," he replied. Mia blinked and was quiet for a moment.

"Do you have an extra helmet?" She questioned.

"No," Christian replied.

"Then I'd be foolish to take you up on that offer, wouldn't I?" She smirked. "See ya," she said as she turned back to the car.

"Hey," Christian called out, getting her to turn back to him before he tossed his helmet to her. Mia jumped back, barely catching it with her fingertips. "You can use mine," he smiled. Mia smiled softly.

"What about you?" She replied. Christian shrugged.

"I can do without. What can I say, I like to live dangerously." Mia thought about it for a moment.

"Okay." She replied softly as she shoved the helmet on over her head and walked towards Christian's bike. Christian's eyebrows shot up. Though he had made the offer, given their interactions, he didn't actually expect her to accept it.

"Seriously?" He blurted out.

"Yeah... Is that alright?" She commented, putting her hands on his hips and throwing her leg over the bike. Christian shook his head, resuming his cool composure.

"Well yeah, I did offer, didn't I?" He replied. Across from them, Andy stuck his head out of Kira's window.

"Mia, you can't seriously be getting on his bike," he called out in an astonished tone. Though he did acknowledge that Christian had saved his life back there and was grateful to him for it, it didn't mean he was overjoyed at seeing his best friend hopping on the bike of someone who had been a jerk most of the time. Mia shrugged.

"It's kinda crowded in the car." She replied.

"Oh yeah, and that bike is just so spacious," Andy muttered. Kira sighed.

"Andy, you are not a dog, quit sticking your head out the window." Andy gave her a look before doing as he was told. Kira looked at the two teens on the motorcycle. "We'll see you back at the house," she said to them before starting up her car. Kira pulled her car out of the spot and headed back towards her house.

"Ready?" Christian questioned. Mia nodded. "I'd hold on tight if I were you." He told her gently. Mia's only response was her grip tightening around his waist. Christian smiled and revved up his bike. He turned the bike around and drove away, following Kira's car. He felt Mia's hold on him tighten even more, as if feeling she'd initially underestimated how safe this was. He followed Kira's car for a distance before turning down a side road towards the river. He felt her tense against his back.

"What are you doing?" She yelled over the roar of the engine. Christian didn't reply, instead he steered the bike to a patch of land near the river before bringing it to a stop and shutting off the engine. Once the bike was no longer in motion, he felt Mia quickly get off, tearing the helmet off. "Ugh, I should've known you'd pull something like this," she said, chastising herself for actually accepting his offer.

"And what is it that you think I'm 'going to pull'?" He questioned, sounding hurt. Mia glared at him before throwing his helmet at him. Christian quickly caught it before it hit him in the face.

"Don't play the hurt little bunny role," she hissed. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Bring the unsuspecting girl to some nice little riverside romantic spot in hopes she'll just swoon and fall at your feet? Please, could you at least be a little original?" She barked. Christian was silent for a few moments before speaking.

"Contrary to what everyone might say about me Mia, I'm not the jerk you all seem to think I am." He replied. Mia crossed her arms over her chest and quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Is that so? Well congratulations, because you sure do an awesome job at playing one. You should seriously reconsider your stuntman dreams and just go for acting. You could win a hundred Oscars on your convincing performances." She shook her head and spun on her heel, taking a few stomping steps away from him before turning around and stomping back over to him. "And just for the record, in case you weren't sure….calling people names like 'geek boy' or 'fag boy' or any other clever little nicknames you use, and making sexual passes or jokes at girls…..those are the signs of a grade A, no doubt about it, jerk!"

"Have you ever stopped to consider that maybe people wouldn't accept me if I wasn't like that?" He commented. Mia gave him an incredulous look.

"Accepted? Who the hell accepts you? You antagonize every single person you come across! Who in their right mind would accept you?" She spat out. Christian blinked and gave her a hard look before tossing the helmet at her feet.

"Right," he muttered coldly, "we better catch up to the others."

"Oh don't even think about trying to brush this off." Mia snapped. Christian stalked towards her and grabbed her shoulders roughly.

"Mia you know nothing about me." He hissed. "You don't know what its like to grow up in foster homes where your foster parents hate the sight of you." Mia froze, staring up at him with wide eyes. She wasn't sure what caught her off guard—him grabbing her so roughly, or what he said.

"What?" She whispered after a long moment.

"You heard me." He snapped. "You have no idea what its like to be told that you're a failure, and that nobody will ever love you. So don't even for one second think that you know me Mia, because you have NO idea who I am." Mia swallowed thickly before forcing her eyes to lose their shocked state and glaring right back at him.

"Well whose fault is that?" She replied. "It's not like you've ever given anyone a chance to get to know you. You're too busy putting on the jerk persona and pushing people around to let anyone who could be good to you in," she accused. Christian scoffed.

"Well, what's the point in that?" He asked. "Even the good ones end up causing pain," he said.

"You don't know that." Mia replied, turning her head away. Christian looked at her.

"Really? Then tell me Mia...why did my mom abandon me?" He questioned. "If she loved me, why'd she do it?"

"I don't know," she said softly. "Maybe she had her own issues," she said. Christian scoffed.

"Yeah, she did, it was called being a parent," he muttered. "How about telling me why Gertrude left then, any thoughts on that?" He spat out.

"Your sister?" She pondered. Christian simply released her and stalked back to the motorcycle.

"Let's go," he barked, not bothering to look back at her.

"Who's Gertrude?" Mia pressed.

"None of your damn business," he replied, getting on the bike. Mia snatched the helmet up off the ground and walked over to him, coming to a stop at his side.

"That might be true," she said, "but you wouldn't have brought it up if you didn't want it to be my business," she pointed out. Christian snapped his gaze towards her.

"You can walk, you know," he said. Mia sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry okay. You say that you want people involved in your life, then you have to let them in..." She trailed off before running her hands over her face. "And letting them in doesn't mean doing or saying something uncharacteristically nice out of the blue only to have it be followed by some jerk-like behavior," she said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked. Mia gave him a look.

"The other night, at the diner. You come on really nice and sincere in apologizing to me……and then you just……you just……..ruined it five seconds later." Christian sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry alright... It wasn't my intention to be a jerk." He replied. Mia stood back, watching him carefully. "What?" He asked.

"Just waiting for the other shoe to drop. No offense but I have nothing else to go on but your past behavior," she said. "And that past behavior shows you being sincere is followed closely by you being insincere." Christian opened his mouth to give a reply but stopped, thinking better of it. The two were silent for a while before Mia sighed. "Look," she said softly, "if you don't want to talk about whomever this Gertrude person is, you don't have to. Could you at least tell me why you brought me here?"

"Oh I thought you were so convinced I was trying to pull something," Christian replied. Mia shrugged.

"Prove me wrong," she said.

"I came here to try and work this out." He replied honestly. Mia looked at him.

"This what?" She questioned. Christian rolled his eyes.

"In case you didn't get the memo, we're not exactly BFFs." He replied. Mia glared at him.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" She said. Christian sighed.

"Okay, fine, I'll admit that I've been a bit difficult," he said.

"Well, that's mighty big of you," she said.

"You don't have to be sarcastic," he grumbled. Mia sighed.

"I'm not," she replied. "Okay, so what made you decide that we should work this out?" She asked. Christian shrugged.

"We're going to be working side by side against Vengakix," he said. "Might as well have an at least somewhat amicable air about us to work as a team, right?" Mia nodded.

"You're right... That would defanlity improve things." She replied. She looked at him. "So, you plan on getting Andy on the back of your bike and bringing him out here to have a similar conversation with him?" She teased. Christian rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I don't think so," he chuckled. Mia crossed her arms over her chest.

"Listen, Andy's my best friend and a part of this team too, if you've got some close minded bigoted issues; you get over them, understood?" She ordered. Christian looked at her.

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"Your overuse of a certain f-word," she replied incredulously. Christian frowned.

"You think I'm a homophobe?" He asked.

"Well, you can't honestly say you don't see where someone could get that impression," Mia stated. Christian sighed.

"I'm not a homophobe." He replied. He shrugged. "I just said it."

"Well don't just say it anymore," she said. "It's not exactly conducive to having an amicable air in the team." Christian held up his hands in a sign of peace.

"Alright, I won't." He replied. Mia nodded.

"And while you're at it, no more referring to Nathan as geek boy," she said.

"Okay, okay, I'll be nice to everyone," he groaned. Mia smirked.

"I'm sure it'll be exceedingly difficult," she teased. Christian just gave her a half smile in response.

"We should probably go, the others might be wondering where we are," he said. Mia nodded before going over and getting on the bike. Christian looked down for a moment. "By the way," he said, "to answer your previous question….Gertrude was the first person to ever…..really care about me," he said softly. Mia looked at him.

"Was?" She asked. Christian took a deep breath.

"Yeah, was," he said before revving up the engine of his bike. Mia went silent as the revving engine silenced the rest of the conversation. _She must have been important to him, _she mused silently as she tightened her grip around Christian's waist. "Put the helmet on," he said, turning his head to the side to look at her, giving her a playful smirk. "Can't have my angel becoming an actual angel if we get in an accident, now can I?" He said. Mia glared at him before lightly smacking his shoulder.

"While you're refraining from calling Andy and Nathan names, how about you give that a rest too?" She said. Christian chuckled.

"Not a chance," he said, facing forward while Mia pulled the helmet back on and resumed her hold on his waist. Mia was thankful that she had the helmet on to prevent Christian from seeing the blush that had crept up her neck and onto her face. Christian nudged the kickstand with his foot before turning the bike around and getting back on the main road to Kira's abode.


	7. Chapter 7

Kira, Nathan and Andy walked into Kira's house and headed straight for the lair. Andy and Nate walked down the steps first, Kira following behind them.

"How'd it go?" Ethan called from his position at the computer.

"What, didn't you see it?" Kira asked, pointing to the monitor he was facing. Ethan tilted his head to look at her from the corner of his eye and smiled.

"Yeah, we saw, but thought I'd ask anyway," he said. Conner went over to Kira and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We saw you take that kick to the chest, are you okay?" He asked worriedly. Kira looked at him and smiled.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said.

"Good." He replied, smiling. Andy looked back at the stairs, frowning.

"Where are Mia and Christian? Weren't they right behind us?" He asked, turning back to the others. "They should be here by now." Nathan looked at him.

"It's only been a minute," he pointed out, "don't gather up the search party just yet." Andy looked at Nathan.

"Mia is my best friend and she got on that bike with _him_." Andy replied.

"Yeah, I know," Nathan said. "I'm just saying, don't automatically expect something's up just because they didn't show up the exact second after us."

"Fine, I won't." Andy replied. "Though who's to say psycho Sue didn't like sneak up on them or something and they're in the middle of getting their butt kicks while you stand here and tell me not to worry?" He countered.

"The alarms would've gone off again if that was the case," Ethan spoke up. Andy turned to him.

"That's so not the point," he said. Ethan shrugged.

"You made the comment." He pointed out.

"Whatever," Andy muttered.

"Hey, does anyone want any snacks or drinks or anything?" Trent said, deciding to play host in a house that wasn't even his just to change conversation topics. Kira looked at him and tilted her head.

"So now everyone wants to play Holly Housemaid?" She asked. "Ethan cooking is one thing, but now this?" Tommy chuckled.

"Well, since you've been good enough to open your home to us, I guess we figured sure why not," he said.

"That I can understand...It's still a tad creepy though." She replied. Conner chuckled before sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her close to him.

"Don't complain," he said to her, "if you're lucky, maybe you can get someone clearing out the rain gutters outside out of this." Kira smiled and looked up at him.

"Are you offering?" She asked.

"Not me." He replied. "I was thinking maybe Tommy or Trent would offer!"

"Uh uh, I get enough rain gutter muck at my own house," Tommy said, shaking his head.

"I live in New York, I don't do rain gutters," Trent chimed in. All eyes turned to Ethan, who quickly held up his hands.

"Hey, these babies are purely for technical assistance and occasional cooking," he said.

"Huh," Kira said, looking back at Conner. "Guess that just leaves you," she smirked.

"Pfft, like that's fair." Conner replied. "I live in an apartment!"

"Uh uh," Kira replied. "That excuse has already been used by Trent, well, at least a variation of it, you're going to have to do better than that." Conner looked at her.

"Well, if I do do it, what's in it for me?" He asked. Kira smirked.

"I don't know," she said coyly, "guess you'll have to just do it and find out."

"Oy! I'll friggin do it! Just keep your sexual innuendos to yourself!" Andy commented. Everyone turned to look at him at that.

"Wow. Tact, why don't you try looking it up?" Ethan stated.

"That'd defeat the purpose of his comments though." Nathan piped up.

"Exactly," came the chorused reply from Conner, Trent, Kira, Ethan and Tommy. Nathan and Andy looked at each other.

"Tough crowd." Andy commented. Behind them, the sound of footsteps was heard as Mia and Christian descended the stairs and came into the lair. Andy looked over, his eyes narrowing.

"Well it's about time," he said, going over and taking hold of Mia's hand. "What's wrong Christian? Did you get lost?" He sneered before walking back over to Nathan, pulling Mia along with him.

"Andy, stop." Mia commented, pulling her hand out of his grasp. Andy looked at her.

"Where were you?" He asked. Mia shut her mouth. _Oh great, _she thought to herself. She wasn't sure if she wanted to share hers and Christian's conversation with the others but at the same time, she wasn't sure if she could lie to him.

"We had some mechanical difficulties," Christian said. "The engine on my bike stalled for a bit, but after a few tries it was back in working order."

"I'm sure." Andy replied sarcastically. Christian narrowed his eyes at him.

"Listen, fa-" he paused when Mia threw him a hard look. He sighed, "fellow," he quickly substituted, "why don't you give the jealous boyfriend charade a rest and ease up," he said.

"Right, I should do that... God only knows what you've done to Mia." Andy snapped back.

"Hey, in case you've forgotten, Mia's standing right here," she stated. "And what's with the 'god only knows', he didn't do anything to me." Andy crossed his arms, ignoring her statement.

"And me, be jealous of what? You?" He went on, chortling. "Please, you're a wannabe tough guy James Dean poser who nobody likes, why would I ever be jealous of you?"

"Andy!" Mia admonished, smacking his arm.

"What?!" Andy demanded turning to face Mia. Mia narrowed her eyes, giving him a slight glare.

"You're not my dad, Tony, Ricky or Eddie, so can the overprotective guy attitude, alright?" She hissed. "Besides," she went on, "Chris saved your life today, and the least you could do is be a little nice to him."

"Oh, so its Chris now, is it?" Andy said, raising an eyebrow at her. "Besides, I didn't see you spewing out the niceties yesterday even though he saved your life," he pointed out. "So, what's changed?" He asked. Mia looked away and held back the blush that threatened to come to her cheeks.

"We're a team now," she quickly said, "it'd probably be a good idea for all of us to get along and work together, don't you think?" She said. Andy was silent for a minute.

"Whatever Mia." He replied angrily. "Some of us have already been a perfectly functioning team for years, we don't need new players," he hissed, making it no secret he wasn't too favorable of Mia's choice in a new friend. Mia frowned, not liking his tone one bit.

"Oh, so what, it's okay for you to be overly welcoming to Nathan but if I extend a hand of friendship to someone, I'm in the wrong?" She snapped. Nathan's eyebrows went up slightly.

"Whoa, hey, don't bring me in on this," he said, putting his hands up.

"That is totally different," Andy countered.

"Oh really?" She said. "And why's that?"

"Because my choice in friends isn't an asshole," Andy spat out. Mia scoffed.

"Oh please," she said. "It's more like you want to get into your choice in friends' pants!" The room went dead silent for a few minutes. Mia chanced a glance at Nathan, whose face was completely beat red. _Okay...Maybe that wasn't the most tactful way to approach that, _she thought before casting a glance at Andy. Andy looked at her and blinked his expression blank.

"I have to go." He muttered before hurrying out of the lair, and up the steps.

"Fuck," Mia breathed out, putting a hand on her face, feeling like crap. She knew Andy enough to know that he was beyond hurt and upset right now, and it was all because of her and her big mouth. "Andy, wait!" She called after him as she went to leave the lair and go after him. Kira stepped in front of Mia.

"Just give him some time to cool off." She commented. Mia shook her head.

"I messed up," she murmured. "I need to go talk to him and apologize," she said.

"For his sake or your own?" Nathan asked, his tone holding a slight edge to it. Mia didn't respond.

"Mia, I think that right now talking to Andy might do more harm than good." Kira replied. Mia sighed.

"I can't just leave him like that," she said in small protest.

"I'll go talk to him," Nathan said. Mia spun around and looked at him.

"Oh yes, that's a good plan," she said sarcastically.

"Well, he's not gonna listen to you." He replied. Mia sighed, before squaring her jaw as her eyes narrowed at him.

"Fine, but if you say or do anything to upset him-"

"You mean more so than you have?" Nathan quipped. Mia bit back an angry growl at him and simply hardened her glare.

"Just go," she finally said.

"Alright." Nathan replied as he headed out of the lair. He walked through Kira's house and opened the door to walk out and search for Andy, only to see the search was over before it began. There, from his spot on the doorway, he could see Andy sitting in his car, his hands tightly gripping the steering wheel as he stared out the windshield. Nathan sighed as he headed around the back of the vehicle and climbed into the passenger seat.

"Mia, I don't want to talk," Andy growled out through clenched teeth, his eyes never leaving the windshield.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm not Mia, then," Nathan smirked. Andy flinched at the shock of hearing his voice before quickly looking at him with wide eyes.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, his voice losing its hostile tone as it was replaced by a mixture of surprise, fear, and confusion.

"Sitting, what does it look like?" Nathan replied playfully. Andy blinked, his confusion evident in his wide and blank eyes as he was unsure what to expect now. Nathan sighed as his smirk faded into a concerned look. "Are you okay?" He asked. Andy scoffed before looking out the windshield again as he slumped back in his seat, crossing his arms.

"Oh yeah, just peachy," he muttered darkly.

"Yes, I can see that." Nathan replied. There was silence for a few minutes before Nathan spoke again. "What exactly did Mia mean by that comment?" He asked shyly. Andy shut his eyes as he felt the heated blush coming to his cheeks.

"Nothing," he said, "she was just……exaggerating," he lied. Nathan peered at him closely.

"So, why'd you walk out of the lair?" He asked. Andy pursed his lips into a thin line before replying.

"It was just……..things were getting heated, figured I should leave before anything else was said," he said.

"Uh huh...I'm sure that's the reason." Nathan replied. Andy opened his eyes only to roll them, still not looking at Nathan.

"Fine, if you know the truth then why bother asking?" He muttered. Nathan shrugged.

"Wanted to give you a chance to explain, I guess," he said.

"Nothing to explain," he said. He sighed before chancing a careful look at Nathan. "And you don't need to explain anything either. I'm not, you know, one of those guys."

"What guys?" Nathan asked.

"The guys who go after the straight ones and think that with enough persistence, convincing or seduction they can change things," Andy replied before quickly looking back out the windshield. Nathan blushed a bit before shifting in the seat beside him, drawing himself closer to Andy. This movement went unnoticed by Andy.

"Seduction, huh?" Nathan mused lightly. Andy rolled his eyes.

"I didn't mean it like that…….I just mean…….You know……I'm not that type, so there's nothing else that needs to be said." He shook his head. "Not that that type actually exists," he added, "but isn't that like the hetero boy fear or something?" Nathan shrugged.

"I really wouldn't know," he said. Andy's brows furrowed as his mind turned that simple sentence over and over again, trying to decipher what it meant. Nathan couldn't help chuckle a bit at the lost look on his face.

"What do you mean?" Andy finally asked after a few moments. Nathan was quiet for a moment before leaning over, tilting his head and placing a soft kiss on Andy's lips. The kiss had ended as suddenly as it started as Nathan sat back, looking down shyly. Beside him, Andy's eyebrows looked to be trying to see if they could reach his hairline, his mouth frozen in a slight pucker from the kiss. He let out a long breath as his shock subsided and his lips relaxed. "What…what was that?" He asked.

"If you don't know what a kiss is, then you're more oblivious than I thought," Nathan muttered. Andy gave him a hard look.

"I know what a kiss is," he grumbled.

"Really... Then why did you ask?" Nathan replied. Andy sighed.

"Fine, okay, I know what that was…….I just meant………why'd you do it?" He asked. He peered at him for a moment. "What, experimenting?" He asked. Nathan gave him an incredulous look.

"Good god, you really are oblivious," he said.

"To what?!" Andy cried.

"Everything!" Nathan replied in a similar tone. "Why do you think I just out of nowhere spoke up the other day when you and Christian were having that face off in the quad?" Andy frowned, shrugging lightly.

"You're a nice guy?" Andy offered.

"And why do you think I sat by you and Mia by the park?" Nathan sighed.

"Cause the other picnic tables were in the line of water fight fire?"

"How about why I was less than pleased you didn't even remember it was me who spoke up in the quad?" Andy just shot a glare at him, having run out of things to say. Nathan looked away. "What about before, when your coin made you dizzy? Or even better, the brightest glaring clue….Me kissing you just now!"

"You're not gay!" Andy shouted, as he turned and faced Nathan. "Guys like you are not gay. You are too perfect!" Nathan looked at him for a long while before chuckling, shaking his head. After a few seconds the chuckles turned into full blown laughter. "What's so funny?" Andy seethed. Nathan took a deep breath as he tried to stop laughing. After about a minute his laughter died down to slight snickers.

"That's the exact same thing I told myself….about you," he admitted. Andy frowned and turned to look out the windshield again, suddenly feeling very awkward. Nathan, finally rid of his laughing fit, looked at him. "Last summer," he said, "I….um…..my family and I took a day trip to the beach and……I saw you surfing……" He let his voice trail off, his blush silencing his speech. He cleared his throat and forced himself to go on. "You just……um…….you looked good," he muttered, letting the ambiguity as to whether he meant Andy's surfing or Andy's physical appearance hang in the air. Andy slowly looked at him.

"Okay, and just so we're clear……..you are saying that you are……and that you've…..what, had a thing for me for almost a year, right?" He asked. Nathan nervously wrung his fingers on his lap, his gaze focused on his hands.

"Yeah," he breathed out after a while. "That's what I'm saying," Nathan said. Andy blinked. It was one thing to hear that someone he liked felt the same; it was an entirely different thing to hear that this person had held a torch for almost a year. Andy himself had never really noticed Nathan before. He'd seen him around school and had a class or two with him over the years, that being the only way he knew his name before all this, but he'd never really talked to him. He had had idle thoughts of how smart he was or how cute he found him to be whenever he saw him in classes but beyond that, Nathan didn't really occupy his thoughts. It wasn't until being around him more and really noticing him that things had changed.

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" Andy asked. Nathan chuckled.

"Probably the same reason why you high-tailed it out of the lair after Mia's outburst," he said. "Felt embarrassed……didn't think you'd feel the same…….so…..yeah," he muttered. "Even after I got the hint that your preferences weren't that different than mine…..I," he paused, shrugging, "just didn't think you'd go for someone like me," he admitted. Andy looked at him, opening his mouth to respond before a memory came to mind.

"So how come when you, me and Mia tumbled into that little heap yesterday…you sounded pissed?" He asked. Nathan's faint blush grew in color.

"I was…..um……..that position was…um……and I didn't want anything to………you know…….." He murmured incoherently. Andy bit back a smile as he understood.

"Huh," he breathed out. He finally let his smile come out as he shifted closer to Nathan. He couldn't understand why Nathan was being so nervous and uncomfortable. He was acting as if he was admitting all this with having no knowledge of Andy's feelings. It then dawned on him that, if what Nathan said was true and he'd had these feelings for this long, being in this situation was still nerve wracking, regardless of knowing of Andy's feelings. Given those realizations, and having the bright green light on Nathan's feelings, Andy figured it was now his job to be the less timid one.

"So, would I be correct in assuming that this past year that you've been crushing on me," he said, having trouble hiding his grin at that, "the idea of kissing me was a thought you often had?" He asked. Nathan bit his lip before slowly nodding. Andy shifted closer to him, not caring that the gear shift was now practically imbedded in his hip. He reached over with one hand and placed it against Nathan's cheek, gently turning Nathan's face towards him until their eyes locked. "And that little peck was the best you could do?" He teased.

"Apparently." Nathan murmured back. Andy leaned in and gently brushed his lips against Nathan's.

"Well, I guess it'll just be something we have to work on," Andy said, his breath hitting Nathan's lips. Nathan's eyes fluttered at the feel of Andy's lips and breath.

"Yeah," he breathed out. "I guess so," he said. Andy grinned and kissed him again, the light touch from before being replaced a more daring venture as he caught Nathan's bottom lip in his, gently sucking on it briefly before releasing it. Nathan sat back, letting him kiss him. It wasn't that he didn't want to return the gestures; he just wasn't sure what to do. Though he'd come to terms with his feelings for the same sex nearly three years ago he'd kept it to himself. He'd never ventured into any sort of relationship with guys, or even girls when he was still figuring out where his interests lied. He had never been in this position before, and from the looks of it, Andy had. Though, that wasn't much of a surprise. In his watching Andy from afar the past year, he'd seen Andy venture into dating before. He remembered a week after he began noticing Andy, in the latter half of summer; the blonde began seeing a college student who was home for the summer, a surfer much like him. It drove the belief into Nathan that he could only dream of being with him, since he obviously was not Andy's type. Once school started up, Nathan overheard Andy and Mia discussing that relationship in hushed voices during study hall and he got the impression that Andy and the guy broke it off right before the elder of the two went back to school.

"You okay?" Andy's voice rang out, cutting into Nathan's thoughts. Nathan blinked and looked at him. Andy had stopped kissing him once he realized it was a pretty one sided endeavor and was now looking at him with a mixture of concern and confusion.

"Yeah, sorry." Nathan replied. "Just thinking."

"About?" Andy asked. Nathan looked away, scratching the back of his head lightly.

"Um, that we should probably get back inside. Mia's probably worried or…..something," he muttered. Andy frowned.

"I'm kissing you and you're thinking about Mia? Are you sure you're gay?" He said, a light teasing tone in his voice.

"Sorry." Nathan replied, looking down. Andy shrugged and sat back, his hip relieved to finally be parted from the gear shift that was digging into it.

"No need to be sorry," he said. Nathan sighed and chanced a careful look at him.

"I'm just….new to this," he admitted. Andy gave a small nod, allowing him to go on. "I'm not exactly……out," he said. "So….haven't….done this," he said. Andy nodded again.

"I see," he mused. "How long have you been…….I mean……when did you realize it that is," he said.

"About three years ago," Nathan said. "You?"

"Two," Andy replied. He blinked. "Three years and you haven't told anyone?" He asked, slightly surprised.

"I've told someone," Nathan replied before shrugging. "You." Andy rolled his eyes.

"I mean besides me," he said. Nathan shook his head.

"How about you?" He asked.

"Uh, everyone?" Andy replied. He looked at Nathan for a long while before speaking again. "Hey, if this stuff makes you uncomfortable, we don't-" His sentence was cut off by Nathan leaning in and pressing his lips to his. They kissed for a few moments before Nathan pulled away.

"Or we could just not go there." Nathan commented. Andy smiled.

"Alright then," he said. He sighed after a while. "I guess you're right though, we should go back." Nathan nodded. Andy reached over and took hold of Nathan's hand. "As for us, it's your call. I mean, if you want to keep it between us, or not be secretive, or whatever….your choice." Nathan ran his thumb over the back of Andy's palm.

"I don't want to be secretive," he said, shrugging, "I guess just…whatever happens, happens. But maybe we can just…….not get too ahead of ourselves too fast," he murmured. Andy gave him a small smile and nodded.

"Okay," he said. The two released their hands and went to get out of the car. Nathan smirked.

"So, yeah, sorry, I don't think you'll get your getting in my pants wish quite yet," he joked before getting out of the car. Andy glared at him.

"Remind me to hurt you later." He joked. He climbed out of the car just as Nathan came around the front and the two joined together as they made their way to the house.

"Will do," Nathan chuckled. They stepped onto the porch and opened the door to walk in when they saw Mia alone in the living room, stopping mid pace as she saw the door open. Her eyes fell on Andy who looked at her with a blank expression.

"Hey," she said softly. Nathan looked at Andy before looking at Mia. He lightly touched Andy's back, a gesture gone unseen by Mia.

"I'll give you guys a minute," he said before walking past them and going to the lair. Mia watched him leave before looking back at Andy.

"I'm really sorry," she breathed out. Andy simply stood there, looking at her. "I shouldn't have said that…….I don't know what I was thinking, it just came out. Okay, that's no excuse. But I am sorry," she said. She gave him a hopeful smile. "Forgive me?" She asked. Andy stood there for a moment before dropping the façade, his face breaking out into a wide smile and going over to her, his arms coming around her in a tight hug. "Okay," Mia choked out. "So, I'm guessing you don't forgive me and are now going to kill me?" Andy laughed.

"Come on Mi...I think we're better friends then that." He replied.

"Then would you mind loosening the grip?" Mia questioned. Andy laughed again and let her go; only to take her face in his hands and plant a loud kiss on her forehead. "Well this wasn't the response I was expecting," Mia said as he let her go. She gave him a look. "What happened?" She asked. Andy smirked.

"What in the world makes you think something happened?" He asked coyly before simply walking past her as he made his way to the lair. Mia's eyes followed him.

"You suck! Tell me!" She demanded, chasing after him. Andy chuckled.

"Think of it as punishment for your outburst," he said as the two reached the stairs and made their way down.

"So you are mad at me?" She asked.

"I didn't say that," he grinned. The two reached the bottom of the steps and entered the lair.

"You're back." Trent commented. Andy shrugged before making his way to stand behind Nathan.

"I calmed down," he stated simply.

"Good to hear," Kira said, nodding. There was silence from the group for a few minutes before Kira spoke. "You guys did well today... But as a fair warning, it might not always be like that."

"Gee, that's a great pep talk," Christian muttered. Kira shrugged.

"Just being realistic. Don't get too cocky just because today went well," she advised.

"Yeah, but how much more trouble can bitchface be?" Mia questioned. "I mean, there's five of us and just one of her." Kira sighed and looked down. She remembered what had happened when Trent had nearly destroyed all of them. Sometimes strength didn't solely rely on numbers.

"Hey, just take her word for it," Conner commented. "I mean, the five of us," he said, gesturing to himself, Kira, Trent, Ethan and Tommy, "have done this before." Nathan nodded.

"Alright." He replied. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he suddenly felt Andy's hand running up and down his back. The others didn't notice anything out of the ordinary and felt no need to shift their gazes at the two.

"So, if we're all done for the day, how about that celebratory ice cream plan?" Andy said to the group. If Nathan wasn't so focused on enjoying Andy's hand on his back and keeping his reactions to himself, he would've spun around and punched Andy for being so nonchalant.

"Sounds good to me." Mia replied. She looked at Conner, Ethan, Trent and Tommy. "You guys are welcomed to join us," she offered, "Celebratory ice cream for all rangers, new and veteran."

"Oh, well that doesn't make me feel old at all," Tommy chuckled. Ethan laughed as he got up from the computer.

"Sounds like fun," Ethan said.

"Well I'm gonna have to pass... I'm lactose intolerant." Kira replied. Ethan, Trent, Tommy and Conner each gave her a suspicious look.

"Since when?" Conner whispered to her privately. Kira gave his side a slight nudge.

"Oh," Andy frowned. "Well, it could be something else…..how about celebratory burgers at Twilight?"

"Oh yes, so that my mother can talk me into taking up a shift while you all enjoy your meals? I think not." Mia commented. Kira chuckled.

"No, its okay, you guys go ahead, really," she insisted. Conner smirked to himself as he finally got what she was trying to do. He looked at the others.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to pass too, feel like taking a nap," he said.

"Yes, because sitting here and twiddling your thumbs must be so exhausting." Christian commented. Conner gave the younger man a tight smile.

"What can I say, at my age you get tired easily," he said sarcastically.

"Whatever you say grandpa." Andy piped up. He looked down and saw Nathan ball his hands into fists at his side. He bit back a smirk at Nathan's obvious distress due to the gentle rubbing Andy had been doing on his back. He pulled his hand away from Nathan and watched Nathan's shoulder slump slightly in disappointment. "So, I guess we should all go, then?" He suggested.

"Sure," Trent said.

"Tommy, Trent and I can follow you guys in my car," Ethan offered.

"Sounds like a plan." Mia commented as they headed for the stairs. Once the seven of them were out of the lair, Conner let loose a chuckle as he held Kira close to him.

"You do realize that the lactose intolerant thing was totally see through, right?" He said. Kira smiled.

"Hey it gave us a chance to have the place to ourselves, didn't it?" She replied. Conner nodded.

"That it did," he replied. They were silent for a minute before Conner spoke again. "Good job." He commented. Kira smiled and turned to face him, her arms slipping around his neck.

"Now there just remains the question of what to do while we have the place all to ourselves," she said coyly. Conner grinned.

"I can think of some suggestions."

"Oh really?" She questioned. "Like what?" Instead of replying, Conner simply lowered his face to her neck and gently sucked at the soft flesh of her pulse point. Kira sighed as her eyes drifted shut. "Ah, I like the way you think," she breathed out.

"So do I." Conner whispered softly against her skin. His hands tightened around her waist for a moment before one slyly went under the hem of her shirt. Kira threw her head back, moaning lightly at the feel of his hand on her bare back.

"Conner," she sighed, "what about taking things slow?"

"There are a lot of things I could do, very slowly," he replied before going back to his attack on her neck as his fingers slowly caressed her back. Kira mentally cursed him and his caresses. It was making it very hard to say no.

"I'm sure there are," she said before finally finding the will to shift her head, disconnecting his lips from her neck and forcing him to look at her. "And unfortunately, dating me is going to be one of them," she said. Conner sighed and slumped his head forward in defeat.

"So not fair." He muttered. Kira sighed and gently stroked the back of his neck with her fingers. "Tease," he muttered. Kira smiled and kissed the corner of his mouth.

"I'm just saying we don't move too fast," she said, "but I wouldn't oppose to other stuff," she concluded. Conner's head snapped up so fast he nearly hit her head with his chin.

"Like what kind of other stuff?" He asked. Kira simply smiled and pulled away from him before taking his hand and leading him out of the lair.

"I guess you'll just have to find out." Kira replied.


	8. Chapter 8

Conner simply followed Kira's lead as they left the lair and continued to the stairs up to the bedrooms, where she led him to her room. She led him to her bed and had him sit down before removing her black blouse, leaving her only in her gray slacks and yellow cami. Conner's eyes lit up like a child on Christmas morning.

"And this is different from what I had in mind, how?" He asked.

"It's different," Kira began as she sat down beside him, "because you had in mind a few home runs, am I right?" She teased. Conner snorted a bit.

"Was thinking more than a few, but yes," he said. "And what are you thinking?" He asked.

"I'm thinking, since we've been on first base for just a day, we just slowly venture to second and see how things are there for a while," she said. Conner made a face.

"You do realize how strange it is for two people in their late twenties to be seeing things as first or second base, right?" He asked. "We sound like teenagers." Kira shrugged.

"I figured it was the best way to describe it... We could always go back to first base, if you're uncomfortable." She commented.

"Don't make me tickle you again, Ford," Conner threatened. Kira grinned. Conner threw an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him on the bed.

"You tickle me and you get nothing," she chuckled. Conner laughed.

"Ah, I see, using your body as a bargaining chip, huh?" He said, his free hand running up her lap before going to her arm, his fingers gently brushing her skin. Kira shivered slightly.

"Gotta do whatcha gotta do." She replied coyly. Conner simply smiled. He noticed the effect his gentle touch on her arm was having and simply continued the action, feeling Kira's body tense in anticipation against him.

"So, just so we're at an understanding," he said lowly as his mouth went to where her ear connected to her jaw, placing a delicate kiss on the spot before continuing, "what exactly will our venture into second base territory entail?"

"Well," Kira began as she slowly pushed Conner away and began to peel her cami off. "I figured we'd start with something like this, and just see where things take us." She finished before straddling Conner's lap. Conner opened his mouth to continue their banter but was having trouble forming coherent words, let alone an entire sentence, at the sight of her in just her bra and on his lap.

"Um," he managed, his eyes unable to look elsewhere than the parts of her that were now revealed. His eyes were trained on the pale yellow and black lace bra that didn't exactly leave too much to the imagination. Kira looked down for a moment before looking back at him, giving him a look.

"Conner," she said, "it's not like you've never seen a girl in a bra before," she teased. "I'm pretty sure you've seen girls in less than this, actually," she smirked. Conner blinked and finally tore his eyes off her chest and looked up at her.

"Kira," he whispered, "it's you," he said simply. Kira shrugged.

"So?" She questioned. Conner sighed as his hands went around her waist, gently touching her back.

"It's different with you," he said, trying his best to explain. Kira looked at him. She was touched at what he was trying to get at.

"Conner..." She trailed off. She shivered slightly when she felt one of his hands glide up from her back and come to her shoulder before cupping her cheek.

"I love you, Kira," he said. Kira sighed and closed her eyes, leaning into his touch.

"I love you too," she replied. Conner used the hand on her back to pull her closer so his lips could find her shoulder. His hand left her face and went to the shoulder strap of her bra as he kissed her shoulder, gently pushing the strap out of his way until it rested on her arm. Kira slowly pulled her arm out of the strap before wrapping her now free arm around Conner's neck and pulling herself closer to him. She ducked her head, careful not to dislodge his lips from their work on her shoulder, and brushed her lips against his jaw.

"You know, I'm finding it a little unfair that I'm practically half naked here and you're….well, not," she chuckled against his skin. Conner chuckled against her skin.

"It might be unfair, but its gonna keep me from doing anything I shouldn't." He replied. Kira rolled her eyes.

"And I'm sure seeing me shirtless has nothing to do in helping restrain yourself," she said. Conner chuckled.

"You could have a point there," he said. The hand that had been until now stationary on the small of her back, inched up her back until he found the clasp of her bra. In mere seconds he was able to flip the back open.

"I'm going to refrain from commenting on how wrong you being able to do that so artfully is," she muttered as she slid her arm out of the remaining bra strap and let the article of clothing fall on her lap. Conner just grinned at her, trying to maintain eye contact.

"You love it." Conner let his now free hand move from her back to the side of her breast, cupping it gently and letting his thumb run over the soft skin. Kira groaned, shifting lightly on his lap as the touch had her seeing stars.

"Maybe," she gasped out as his thumb repeated the action, "but only if you plan on not performing that little skill on anyone but me for the rest of your life," she said without meaning to. She came back down to Earth as she heard her own words and felt his thumb freeze. She cringed to herself. "I didn't mean-"

"I think I could agree to that," Conner replied, making Kira's gaze snap to him. He was looking at her with a soft smile on his lips and a warm, loving gleam in his eyes.

"Seriously?" She whispered. Conner nodded.

"Well, I'm not saying we drive to Vegas and get hitched this minute," he said, his eyes shifted downward slightly, catching a brief glimpse of her bare breasts, "definitely not this minute," he breathed out before catching himself and shaking his head as he brought his eyes back to hers. "I'm just saying that now that I've got you, I don't plan on ever letting you go," he said. Kira grinned.

"Good to know." She replied as she lowered her lips to his and kissed him gently. Conner returned the kiss as he leaned backwards until his back was lying on her bed. Once in this position he turned so that they were both now lying on their sides facing each other. His hand continued touching her breast as the other moved down her side, his fingers lightly tickling her skin as they came to a stop on her hip. Kira threw her leg over his hip, feeling the need to be as close to him as she possibly could. "But," Kira muttered between kisses, "what do you plan on doing once you need to get back to Reefside for work?" Conner paused and looked at her.

"Is this something we need to discuss now?" He asked, his tone making it clear he'd much rather continue kissing and touching her. Kira shrugged.

"Not this second, no... But soon." She replied. Conner nodded.

"Yeah, but not too soon," he said, smiling gently as his hand moved from her hip and found a new resting spot on the leg that was over his hip. His lips returned to her lips again, albeit briefly, as after a few moments of kissing he shifted and let his lips trail down her chin to her neck before continuing downward. Kira sighed, shutting her eyes.

"No, not too soo—Oh!" She gasped out as she felt Conner's mouth finish it's descent after reaching her breast. Her hip gently rocked against him as Conner worked on one breast with his mouth and on the other with his hand.

"Kira," Conner muttered against her skin, his breath on her sending a shiver through her, "you keep doing that and I might be forced to consider stealing third or going for the home run," he warned. Kira just giggled in response.

"Well, you keep doing that and I might be forced to consider letting you," she said. Conner lifted his head from her breast and grinned up at her.

"Is that a promise?" He asked. Kira winked at him.

"I think so." She replied. Conner considered this for a moment. He wondered if this was such a good idea then. He didn't want them to go somewhere in the heat of passion that she would later regret and feel that they'd gone too fast.

"Should I stop?" He asked. Kira frowned.

"You stop and your Reefside plans won't matter," she replied.

"Are you sure?" Conner asked. He sat up; his hands and mouth leaving her body completely causing Kira to give a dissatisfied groan. "I mean, all my joking aside, I don't want to screw this up Kira. We've waited so long and I don't want to do anything that might jeopardize what we've been wanting for ten years just because we lost control in the heat of passion. I don't want you to regret anything." Kira sighed and put a hand on her face, rubbing at the tense spot that was forming at the bridge of her nose.

"Conner, first of all, we're both adults. It's not like we're going to do anything we don't really want. Second of all," she said, sighing again before pulling her hand away to look at him. "It's like you said about it being different with me. Guess what, that feeling's mutual. We have been wanting this for ten long years and though yes, I would like to wait and not go too far right away, that doesn't mean that if we 'lost control', I would regret it. It's you; I can't regret anything that happens from this point on." Conner frowned.

"Alright, Kira, you need to make up your mind here," he said. "One minute you're putting limits here saying we can't go too far……..then you say it'd be okay if we did go too far…..So which is it? Because frankly I'm getting really confused."

"Makes two of us." Kira muttered. "Are you mad at me?" She asked, studying his face. Conner was quiet for a moment before shaking his head.

"No, not mad, just……lost," he said. "I mean, what is it that you want?" Kira considered the question for a second before replying.

"I want us to be together," she said.

"And I want that too." He replied honestly. "But we need to figure this out." Kira sighed.

"Okay, fine, but if we're going to talk can you hand me something to cover up with? I feel stupid just sitting here like this with the twins having nothing to do," she grumbled. Conner laughed.

"Really? It doesn't bother me at all," he said. Kira glared at him. "Alright, alright," he said. He looked over the side of the bed and saw her cami lying on the floor. He bent over and picked it up before turning back to face her. He paused, giving one last look at her before finally handing over the shirt. Kira sighed and sat up, slipping the garment on.

"Thanks." She commented. Conner nodded.

"Alright," he said, going into the topic they needed to discuss. "What is it that's holding us back? I mean, we love each other and I don't know about you but being in this situation with you has been an often had fantasy. I want to be with you, but if you don't want to then…"

"I want to," Kira said. "I do. I just…." She sighed, frowning a bit. "Maybe the whole ten years thing….it's a blessing and a curse. I mean yeah, we finally get what we've wanted for all these years but maybe that's what's freaking us out."

"How so?" Conner asked.

"The build up. Maybe we're afraid that if we actually do this, it won't compare to the fantasy," she muttered, chewing on her lip a bit after she spoke. Conner frowned.

"Gee, that's reassuring," he muttered. Kira just sighed in reply. Conner looked at her. "That's not all, is it?" He questioned. Kira sighed again and shook her head before looking away, almost embarrassed or ashamed. Conner regarded her for a moment before slowly pulling her closer so he was now almost cradling her in his arms. "What is it?" He asked.

"Two things," she admitted. "First of all…..it's like I said. I mean, I've wanted to be with you for so long and……now that we are together, it just feels so surreal. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that first kiss you gave me yesterday."

"And the other thing?" He asked. Kira clamped her mouth shut. Conner sighed, obviously whatever this other reason was it was something she was afraid to admit. "Come on, tell me," he gently urged.

"I'm not so much worried about you not comparing to the fantasy as……me not comparing to your fantasy. Or…….comparing to…..you know….your past," she mumbled, embarrassed to be actually saying this. She felt like she was a silly little inexperienced teenager. Conner's jaw fell open slightly.

"Are you serious?" He asked softly. Kira just nodded in reply. Conner was silent for a minute.  
"I think that you'd be better than my fantasy." He replied. "And besides, what makes you think the past isn't a common fear? I mean, I've got Trent, Darrin, Adam and Christopher to live up to," he sighed. Admitting his own fear brought all those feelings he'd had when Kira was dating them to the foreground of his mind.

"Oh yes, four guys, one who cheated on me and one who ended up being gay……..does that really compare to your list of," Kira stopped herself as she heard the bitterness in her tone. Conner nodded, understanding.

"Okay, you may have a case," he said, "but you've got to understand my point here. Fine, forget the others. What about Adam? You were with an older more experienced guy….You have to get that that's a little intimidating." Kira frowned.

"I don't like where this conversation's going," she stated, "It's heading into the 'how good or bad were they' place that I really don't think we need to get into." Conner held up his hands.

"I'm sorry, that wasn't my intention." He replied. "How about we each forget about the past?" He suggested. "From this point on, for all intents and purposes, we're a couple of virgins." Kira snorted, chuckling a bit.

"That's an interesting way to put it," she said. Conner laughed and kissed the side of her head.

"I'm just saying, the past doesn't matter. Just the present, and the future." Kira sighed and shifted in his arms a bit.

"But there's our past….which could effect our future," she pointed out. She looked up at him. "All these years, as much as we've wanted each other, we've been best friends. What if it turns out that taking this step is too scary for our friendship? What if it changes things?"

"I thought the whole point of this was to change things," Conner replied. Kira sighed again.

"I'm scared." She whispered. Conner looked down at her and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"Yeah, me too," he admitted. He sighed. "We should wait," he said in a definite tone. Kira tilted her head up to look at him.

"Are you sure?" She asked. Conner chuckled.

"Not really, but it's for the best. If we're both feeling scared, unsure and timid, we should wait until those feelings go away."

"And if they never go away?" She asked. Conner shrugged.

"Then we'll just be a couple who never has sex," he said. Kira groaned.

"Oh yeah, cause that's just so easy," she said. Conner laughed.

"Don't worry, we'll figure it out." He replied. Kira sighed.

"I just hope the cold water holds up as we figure things out," she muttered, knowing full well the aching and need she was feeling from Conner's previous attentions would need to be alleviated somehow. Conner sighed.

"So, I'm guessing this waiting period will include nothing past first base," he figured. Kira looked up at him.

"Well, going to second lead us to this point, so we might be safest not tempting fate again," she suggested. Conner sighed.

"Me and my big mouth. I should've just kept quiet and let whatever happened happen," he grumbled. Kira smiled and gently touched his face.

"You wouldn't have," she said. Conner nodded.

"Yeah, me and my stupid loving considerate feelings for you," he sighed. He ran his hands up and down her arms, feeling a slight twinge of pride and the shiver that went through her. "It's going to be really hard to keep things PG after today," he admitted in a whisper against her temple. Kira sighed, biting her lip as the need for a cold shower grew.

"Yeah," she said. "But….we have to," she said. She shifted against him and could feel the evidence of his need for a cold shower, which didn't exactly help her predicament. "Why do we have to again?" She asked. Her hand went down to his lap. Conner shut his eyes briefly.

"Can't remember," he breathed out as he felt her hand moving over his jeans. "Something about…." His breath caught in his throat as he felt her hand pause and go to his zipper. He sighed and slumped his head forward, planting his lips on her shoulder. "Something about being scared…" he sighed against her skin as he heard the telltale sound of his zipper being pulled down.

"We could just face our fears," Kira sighed.

"Oh damn," Conner groaned as he felt Kira's hand go through the opening she'd just created for herself. The feel of the hand on him, with nothing separating the touch but his thin cotton boxers, quickly shocked his senses back to him. "Wait," he said, lifting his head up off her shoulder and immediately stopping the caresses up and down her arm.

"What?" She asked huskily. He could feel her hand inching towards the opening of his boxers. Conner knew if she reached it, there would be no way he could stop her for himself. Using every single ounce of will power he possessed, he quickly slid away from her, forcing her hand out of his pants. Kira quickly looked at him, a mixture of lust, confusion, disappointment and hurt in her eyes.

"We can't," Conner breathed out, forcing the words from himself. "As much as I'd like to…….and dear god would I ever…….we can't." Kira blinked as his words were processed in her mind. She sighed, shaking her head. She groaned and collapsed back in her bed, reaching for a pillow and smashing it over her face out of embarrassment.

"What the hell just happened?" She sighed. "I mean…….what are we, 28 or 16? Have we no self control?" Conner sighed, shifting slightly to readjust himself and zip up his fly.

"When it comes to us, apparently not," he said. Kira lifted the pillow off her face.

"I don't get it, I mean; we just said not five minutes ago that we should wait……What the hell is wrong with us?" Conner leaned back against her headboard.

"Maybe the fact that we made things forbidden made us want to even more," he theorized. Kira nodded.

"Makes sense," she said. Conner paused for a moment before shifting again so he was lying beside her.

"So, what do we do now?" He asked. Kira bit her lip.

"Well, maybe making things forbidden is the wrong way to go. As we just saw, the more we tell ourselves we can't do anything, the more we want to."

"But if we don't tell ourselves we can't do anything, then we do something we might not be ready for," Conner pointed out. Kira thought about their dilemma for a while.

"The problem came up when we said we can't do anything except kiss, right?" She said. Conner nodded. "Then maybe we don't just kiss. We just….find other ways to alleviate the tension so we don't try to pounce each other anytime we're within arms' reach."

"Okay, but I was sort of figuring solo efforts would be in the cards anyway," he shrugged. Kira rolled her eyes.

"I don't mean that," she said. She shrugged a bit. "What we were doing before, trying out second and all that……didn't feel too scary," she admitted. "So, we just need to stop thinking about this in the extremes. Just because we're." she paused, blushing a bit, "kissing…….or touching……certain parts…….doesn't mean we'll go too far. Our problem is we think we have no self control, and when we try to have too much self control, we have none at all." Conner blinked.

"I feel like we're going 'round in circles here," he admitted. Kira rubbed her hands over her face.

"Sorry." She replied. "What I'm saying is, the problem is we want each other too much."

"As much as I hate to say it, you're right," Conner said.

"All right, so we just go around that and find ways to……" she sighed as she tried to find the best way to phrase her thoughts.

"Make ourselves not want each other?" Conner concluded, a bit confused.

"Not that…just, find ways to ease the want without going crazy."

"And how do we suppose we do that?" Conner asked. Kira sighed.

"God, I can't believe I'm saying this…..I feel like I'm fourteen fricken years old," she grumbled to herself. "We do that by setting limits. So, with that said…..nothing under the clothes," she said. Conner blinked.

"Excuse me?" He said, his tone more than highly amused. Kira sighed and put the pillow back over her face.

"You heard me," she grumbled. Conner chuckled and tickled her side lightly.

"I don't think I did." He replied playfully. Kira yelped and wiggled away from him.

"Quit it or you'll find it very difficult to do 'solo efforts' with a broken hand," she threatened. Conner laughed and pulled the pillow away from her face.

"Seriously though." He looked at her. "What are you suggesting here?" Kira squeezed her eyes shut, groaning.

"Look," she said, opening her eyes back up. "Just kissing won't work because we'll want more too much and it'll drive us insane. But if we get too physical, we might be too tempted to stop ourselves from going all the way," Conner bit back a chuckle at her use of such a teenage term as 'going all the way'. "So, we just…find the middle ground," she concluded.

"And just so I'm clear, you're definition of the middle ground is, what, dry h-"

"Conner, I'm already feeling like I've regressed to my braces having, training bra wearing, sneaking a boy into the basement while mom and dad are away, fourteen year old self, do not make this any more difficult than it already is," she snapped. Conner just chuckled.

"Sorry," he said. "But you've got to hear how this sounds," he said. Kira sighed.

"It's all we've got," she said, giving him a helpless look. Conner nodded.

"I get it." He replied softly. "So, this no under the clothes things….How would it work exactly?" He asked coyly. Kira rolled her eyes.

"Somehow I doubt you of all people are unfamiliar with this sort of arrangement," she teased. Conner gave her a look.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" He asked. Kira chuckled.

"Oh, don't tell me you weren't the fourteen year old boy girls snuck into their basements in junior high," she said. Conner frowned.

"I was a perfect angel in junior high," he said. Kira snorted.

"Uh huh," she said, unconvinced. "I don't think so." She finished. Conner just chuckled.

"Okay, so maybe I was involved in my fair share of Seven Minutes in Heaven games," he said. "Though, I think the correct term should be Seven Minutes in Not Quite Heaven but Guess it'll Do For Now," he mused.

"Why's that?" She asked. Conner shrugged a nonchalant air about him.

"Because they weren't seven minutes with you," he said. Kira snickered.

"That is so unbelievably corny," she said.

"Yet so unbelievably true." He replied as he placed a soft kiss on her cheek. He looked at her, a serious expression on his face. "I mean it," he said. "Everyone in my past, even put together they couldn't measure to half of you," he whispered, his breath tickling her cheek. Kira sighed, shifting closer to him.

"That better not be a crack on my weight or something," she joked. Conner put his arm around her waist, settling his fingers on the small amount of the skin on her side that was between where the hem of her cami ended and where the waist band of her slacks began. He caressed the spot gently, getting a gentle groan out of her.

"Conner," she warned.

"Hey, technically this isn't under your clothes," he smiled. Kira gave a soft breathy chuckle.

"True," she said. Conner grinned.

"There are always exceptions to the rule." He commented. The hand on her side moved until it was now tracing around her bellybutton. Kira sighed.

"Note to self, wear a full Eskimo suit around you," she muttered. Conner grinned and simply got closer to her so he could attach his lips to her pulse point.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," he said in a husky growl against her skin. Kira shivered against him. She would've spouted out a reply in protest, stating that he had no say in her choices of attire, but she was too busy enjoying his touch and lips to bother. Instead, she put her hands on the side of his face and brought his face closer to hers so their lips could meet.


	9. Chapter 9

Tommy, Trent, Ethan, Christian, Andy, Nathan and Mia all sat in the ice cream parlor in town that Andy had chosen. It was a forty five minute drive from Kira's house and his choosing it had led Christian and Nathan asking why they couldn't go to a closer one which led to Mia stating it was the only place in town that served Andy's favorite flavor so trying to get him to go somewhere else would be an uphill battle.

"So, what exactly is that?" Nathan questioned, staring warily at the blue ice cream in Andy's Styrofoam cup. The seven of them had arrived to the parlor and gotten their orders. Due to the size of the tables at the establishment, the four teens sat together at one table while Tommy, Trent and Ethan sat at another about a foot away from them.

"It's called blue moon," Andy replied simply as he plopped a mouthful of the concoction in his mouth. Mia rolled her eyes.

"It's usually just served in the Midwest. When Andy was eight he visited his grandparents in Wisconsin for the summer and had some," Mia chuckled. "He would not shut up about it and for a while claimed he'd moved to Wisconsin just for the ice cream. Then this little gem opened up and they had it, so I guess Andy decided he could stay in California," she concluded before sticking a spoonful of her vanilla ice cream in her mouth. Nathan nodded slightly and looked down at his pistachio ice cream, frowning gently. For some reason he couldn't help but feel jealous about the insight Mia had when it came to Andy.

"Hey, this stuff is good enough to move to another state for," Andy said, defending his passion. Mia made a face.

"It's disgusting," she said. "It's like eating a smurf." Christian chuckled as he idly poked at his serving of strawberry ice cream with his spoon.

"How would you know what a smurf tastes like?" He asked.

"Well this one time..." Andy started. Mia's arm flung out so fast, catching him on the arm.

"Don't even think about it!" She demanded. Christian, Nathan, Tommy, Trent and Ethan stared at the two, confused.

"What was that all about?" Trent questioned.

"Nothing," Mia asserted. Andy chuckled.

"When we were about….what was it, Mi? Four? Five?" He asked. Mia fixed him with a death glare.

"Andy, you say one more word and you'll be eating ice cream, and all foods for that matter, through a straw," she threatened. Andy just grinned.

"When we were little Mia had this little Smurf doll... And I dared her to eat it." Andy replied.

"Andy!" Mia growled. The others looked at her.

"You ate a smurf doll?" Ethan snickered. Mia rolled her eyes.

"It's not funny," she said. "See, what Andy's conveniently forgetting is that it wasn't really a doll but a little plastic figurine….which got lodged in my throat."

"Oh I remember that part... But it's not the funny part of the story." He replied as he popped a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth.

"Oh," Mia smirked. "If you want to hear the funny part…..After we got back from the emergency room and my mom called Mrs. Baxter, she showed up and spanked his ass so hard he didn't sit down for an entire week," she snickered. Andy glared at her before quickly scooping up a bit of his ice cream with his spoon and tilting it back with his finger. Mia caught what he was doing and narrowed her eyes. "Don't even think about-" Her threat was cut off by the cold blue glob sailing across the table and landing on her nose.

"Ew." Mia commented before taking a napkin and wiping the ice cream off her nose.

"So, after a near death experience you two still remained friends?" Tommy asked, a little surprised.

"Yeah, had that happened to me, I don't think I'd ever want to speak to the person again," Trent commented. Mia shrugged.

"Mom was super pissed and didn't allow play dates for a while, but after we each whined to our mom's for like a week straight, the ban was lifted as long as no small toys were around whenever we were together," Mia laughed.

"One would hope that the same rule would still apply...You two are trouble." Ethan joked.

"Who little old us?" Andy asked innocently.

"Andy still has his stupid dares from time to time... I've grown up." Mia replied confidently as Andy snorted from across the table. Nathan scooped a pit of pistachio ice cream up with his spoon as he looked over at Andy.

"What kind of dares?" He asked curiously as he stuck the spoon in his mouth. Andy gave him a small smile.

"Oh, you'll see," he joked before secretly placing a hand on his thigh under the table. Nathan coughed, nearly choking on his ice cream. The others looked at him.

"Are you okay?" Tommy asked. Nathan nodded and swallowed his ice cream.

"Uh yeah, brain freeze," he said, blushing furiously.

"Trust me, you don't want to know the stuff Andy's capable of," Mia said. _I think I have a pretty good idea_, Nathan thought to himself, his body stiffening as he felt Andy's hand on his thigh move, gently stroking his leg. "He's always up to his own little tricks and dares," Mia continued.

"Tricks?' Trent questioned. Nathan swallowed thickly as he felt Andy's hand slyly move from his knee to between his legs, coming dangerously close to brushing past a certain suddenly stiff part of his anatomy. He couldn't take it anymore and quickly swatted his hand away.

"Stop that," he whispered tersely.

"Problem?" Andy replied under his breath and grinning. Nathan looked away and tried to nonchalantly adjust his glasses, which was a little difficult with his hand shaking so.

"Hey, are you sure you're okay?" Tommy asked him, giving the young man a concerned look. Nathan's blush grew tenfold as he felt everyone's eyes on him.

"Yeah…I guess today's just…..um…..nerves are shot, I guess," he mumbled, unable to look up from his ice cream.

"Aw poor baby," Andy said in a playful tone, grinning. Nathan looked up at him, sending him such a steely glare it made Andy's grin quickly vanish. "Or not..." Andy trailed off softly and looking down. Nathan looked at the others.

"Would you all excuse me for a minute," he muttered before getting up from the table and going to the restroom. Mia watched him leave and looked at the others.

"Are we sure he's not the one who's lactose intolerant, not Kira?" She muttered before popping a spoonful of vanilla ice cream in her mouth. Andy blinked.

"Excuse me," he muttered before quickly getting up and going to the restroom, leaving the other five to stare on in confusion.

"Whatever." Trent replied. Andy turned the corner to go to the restroom, only to stop at the sight of Nathan leaning against the wall outside the bathroom, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Hey," he said. Nathan looked up at him, his eyes narrowing before looking away.

"Go away," he said lowly. Andy smiled and went over to him, coming to a stop beside him.

"Tired of me already?" He asked playfully.

"Drop dead." Nathan snapped. Andy's face fell.

"Uh…….sure, I'll get right on that," he muttered. "Mind telling me why though?" Nathan shot him an incredulous look.

"This is just a game to you, isn't it?" He asked sharply. "What, figured you'd just play around so you can have some funny story to laugh about with Mia? Have a good hearty laugh about the little geek you humiliated?" Andy blinked at looked at Nathan.

"Nate...what are you talking about?"

"Oh don't play stupid," Nathan sneered. "You know what I'm talking about."

"Honestly, I don't," Andy said.

"Oh so that wasn't you pulling the roaming hands bit at the table just now?" Nathan hissed. Andy's brows furrowed.

"That's what this is about?" He asked, confused.

"Yes!" Nathan hissed. Andy was quiet for a moment.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I just wanted to-"

"Just wanted to act like some kind of slut or something?" Nathan muttered. Andy stared at him.

"Wow," he said lowly, taking a step back. "That was…..really nice……." He said, shaking his head. "I was just playing around. I didn't know touching you was such a deviant act."

"You didn't need to do it in front of everyone like that," Nathan replied. Andy sighed.

"I'm sorry." he replied honestly. Nathan simply looked away.

"Forget it, this was a mistake," he muttered. Andy blinked.

"What are you trying to do, go down in the record books for shortest relationship or something?" He said. Nathan shrugged.

"We're too different, it's not going to work," he stated. Andy sighed and leaned against the wall.

"Well, aren't you a pessimist. How do you know it won't work?" He asked.

"I thought I just said why—we're too different," Nathan replied dryly.

"We're too different because of this? Okay, I made a mistake. I shouldn't have been messing around like that. I should've thought about your feelings. This doesn't mean we're destined to fail."

"You don't know that." Nathan replied.

"Neither do you," Andy stated. "As far as I know neither of us have the power of premonition. So as much as I could be wrong about us working out, you could be wrong about us not working out." Nathan sighed and looked away. Both were quiet for a few moments.

"You'll get bored with me," Nathan muttered. Andy shrugged.

"I highly doubt that. I'm able to find even the most mundane things highly entertaining," he grinned. "Not that I'm suggesting you're mundane. Just saying I'm not easily bored." Andy sighed. "I'm not going to push you," he said. "Though I think it's a little strange that, if you've been crushing on me for a year, you give up just an hour into things." Nathan shrugged.

"It was easier before……just kind of……wanting this……Now it's real and it's pretty scary," Nathan admitted. Andy looked at him.

"What's scary? Being with me, or being with a guy in general?" He asked. Nathan was quiet for a moment.

"A little of both," he finally whispered. Andy sighed.

"And the thing before, me putting my hand on your leg, would I be right in theorizing the reason it bothered you so much was because you were afraid someone would see and you'd be put in a position of possibly having to come out?" He asked.

"No it bothered me because it was inappropriate and everyone was looking at me like I was a freak," Nathan countered. "I would've felt the same if a girl was doing it." Andy smirked and snaked an arm around Nathan's shoulders, pulling him off the wall and bringing him close to himself. Nathan stiffed and tried to step away.

"Stop, someone might see," he said.

"And would you be worried about this if I were a girl?" Andy asked, releasing him. Nathan looked down.

"I'm not sure." He replied honestly. Andy sighed.

"Can I ask what the big freaking deal is?" He asked bluntly. "I mean, what are you afraid of? The others at the table finding out? Guess what, no one cares. Do you see any of them making comments or being stupid about me?" He paused, "Christian not withstanding, and if he says anything about you I'll kick his ass," he quickly added.

"I just…..I know it's not a big deal I just….." He shrugged. Andy sighed and leaned his head against the wall. He was getting annoyed by the situation, but a part of him was quietly telling him that he needed to be patient with Nathan. It wasn't that long ago that Andy himself was feeling unsure about coming out. Granted, Andy reasoned, his own phrase of uncertainty had lasted at most three months, hearing Andy, who'd been keeping his feelings hidden for three years, still be unsure was something Andy couldn't really relate to.

"So, what do you want to do?" Andy finally asked. "Not do this? Forget what happened in my car an hour ago and just go on as if nothing's changed?" Nathan bit his lip and slowly shook his head. Andy smiled, waves of relief crashing over him. "Good," he said.

"But that doesn't mean I want you feeling me up in public," Nathan said, pointing an accusatory finger at Andy. Andy's smile converted to a smirk.

"So just in private, then?" He asked. Nathan shut his mouth, blushing furiously. Andy chuckled. "You are so adorable," he murmured.

"Uh, thanks? I think..." Nathan replied. "How did you know when you were ready to come out?" Nathan asked. Andy paused, definitely not expecting that question. He shrugged.

"I really don't know. I mean it wasn't some huge decision, I don't think. It just…..happened. Hell, half the people I told apparently already suspected it."

"Like Mia?" Nathan figured. Andy smiled.

"Good guess," he said. He paused as he thought back to that. It'd been a month after their venture into living life as former virgins when he told her. She just smiled and said she was wondering when he'd finally realize it for himself. Andy had been surprised but laughed it off and, contrary to his fears, nothing changed between them. She was there for him during the months it took him to finally get the nerve to tell his parents. "Look, what I said in my car….it still stands, it's your call……..Okay, yes I might debate you if the call you make isn't one I like," he said with a small chuckle. Andy sighed. "We should get back to the table, I think the others are beginning to wonder what happened to us, not to mention I'm pretty sure our ice creams are cups of blue and green soup," he chuckled. Nathan chuckled nodding. Andy reached over and lightly touched Andy's hand, careful to make the gesture small enough for Nathan's sake. "Are we okay?" He asked. Nathan paused for a moment.

"No more touchy feely moments without consent?" He asked, quirking any eyebrow. Andy laughed.

"I'll give you no extreme touchy feely moments without consent," he said, "but I reserve the right to hold your hand or anything else of that innocent nature, secretly if need be for now, whenever the hell I feel like it," he smirked. Nathan bit his lip.

"Okay, I guess I can live with that," he muttered, a part of him feeling a small thrill at Andy expressing desire to touch him. Andy nodded.

"Good. Not that you had much choice in the matter though," Andy grinned. Nathan gave him an amused look.

"Oh really?" He asked.

"Yes, really," Andy said. He gave him a small wink. He pulled his hand away from Nathan's. "All right, let's go," he said, turning around. Nathan watched him for a moment as he walked away before jogging up to catch up with him. He fell in stride beside Andy just as they rounded the corner to rejoin the others. Nathan looked down for a moment before reaching down and sliding his hand in Andy's, threading his fingers with his. Andy stopped short and gave him a surprised look.

"You're not the only one who reserves the right to hold hands whenever the hell he feels like it," Nathan grinned. The two looked back towards the table to see this gesture, unlike their previous ones, had not gone unnoticed as all five were staring at them.

"You do realize you're sort of kind of out now, right?" Andy muttered to Nathan. Nathan just shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Who cares what they think?" He said. Andy grinned.

"That's more like it," he said. The two finally reached the table; the others, especially Mia, kept their eyes trained on the two as the couple sat down. There was quiet at the table for a few moments before Mia cleared her throat.

"So, uh, I guess this explains why you weren't mad at me," she said, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Something to that effect." Andy replied.

"So, should I expect a thank you?" Mia teased. Nathan gave her an incredulous look.

"He should thank you for embarrassing him in front of everyone back at the lair?" He asked. Mia sighed.

"Well, when you put it that way, I suppose not. But hey, my embarrassing him apparently led to you guys getting together….so yes," she grinned. Andy rolled his eyes and picked at the cup of melted ice cream in front of him with his spoon for a moment.

"You can expect a thank you all you want," he stated, chuckling, "doesn't mean you're going to get one." Mia gave a mock pout.

"My unintentional matchmaking is so unappreciated," she kidded.

"Pretty much," Andy nodded. Mia rolled her eyes.

"You suck." Andy opened his mouth to shoot off a witty reply but, realizing it might make Nathan uncomfortable, decided against it. He instead turned to look at Nathan.

"How about we get ourselves less liquid ice cream replacements?" He suggested. Nathan nodded.

"Sounds good to me," he said. The two stood up and made their way to the counter.

"Well, good for them," Tommy mused with a nod, observing the newly formed couple standing close together as they placed their orders. Mia smiled and gave a nod in agreement before looking back at the couple.

"Well, we better get back," Ethan announced, indicating himself, Tommy and Trent. "I wanted to get some work done, now that we've got ourselves this brand new team," he said in a quieter tone.

"All work and no play makes Ethan a dull boy," Trent chuckled. Ethan laughed.

"Perhaps, but more work and less play makes Shelly a happy wife since it'll cut down on how long she has to deal with twin preschoolers on her own."

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Ethan," Tommy said. "David can be rambunctious enough to make it feel like Kim's dealing with twins on her own."

"Don't you think Kira and Conner might want the house to themselves a bit longer to do…..whatever it is they're doing?" Mia asked, causing the older males to look at her. She rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, we might be teenagers but we're not stupid. Those two just happened to be a bit eager to stay at the house while the rest of us made plans away from the house?"

"They'll get over it... Besides, I doubt they're doing what you think they're doing." Trent commented.

"Who's not doing what who thinks they're doing?" Andy asked as he and Nathan returned to the table, new ice creams in hand.

"Trent thinks our adored teacher and her boyfriend aren't making use of her otherwise empty house," Mia said. Christian rolled his eyes beside her.

"Can we not discuss our teacher's sex life?" He requested.

"Would you rather discuss yours?" Andy quipped. "I'm sure it's an interesting tale of many trips to the county health clinic for your weekly penicillin shot," he chuckled. Christian threw a glare his direction while the others gave him less hostile stares.

"Andy," Mia said in a warning tone. "I thought we all settled into a civil atmosphere here." Andy looked at Mia.

"It was a joke."

"Well maybe you should stick to surfing, because comedy isn't your forte," Christian sneered. The three older males decided that Mia and Nathan could act as moderators if the situation got too out of hand and figured it was time to take their leave.

"Well, we'll see you guys around," Trent muttered as he, Ethan and Tommy got up and threw their empty ice cream cups away before leaving the establishment with barely a wave goodbye from the remaining four.

"Was that sort of joke really necessary?" Nathan whispered to Andy. Andy shrugged.

"I was just trying to lighten the mood." He replied quietly.

"By making an STI joke?" Nathan asked, unconvinced.

"So," Mia spoke up, wanting to change the subject. "Do you guys think we have to report back to base at some point or can be left to our own devices for the rest of the day?"

"And what exactly do you mean by own devices?" Christian questioned.

"I'm sure whatever devices Mia has in mind have nothing to do with you," Andy sneered, narrowing his eyes at Christian. Nathan gave Andy a careful look, wondering if he needed to feel jealous over Andy's involvement in Mia's association with Christian. Rationally, he knew jealousy wasn't a needed emotion but it still was awkward. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Mia can speak for herself," she said. "Anyway, Christian, since you asked, I just mean that have the rest of the day off, since we haven't exactly had a chance to enjoy summer vacation yet. Well, at least Andy and I haven't," she said.

"What did you have in mind?" Nathan asked, deciding to speak up before Christian or Andy had a chance to address each other. Mia shrugged.

"I don't know," she said. "I'm sure we all can find something to entertain ourselves as a group." She paused, smiling a bit at Nathan and Andy. "Unless of course you two want to entertain yourselves on your own," she teased.

"But we have to baby-sit you two...So that rules that out." Andy replied sourly.

"We do?" "You do?" Mia and Nathan questioned at the same time. The two looked at each other briefly, sharing a slight chuckle before Mia looked back at Andy.

"Andy, at one point exactly did I turn into some ten year old child that you need to baby-sit?" Andy shrugged.

"Not saying that," he said, looking down at his ice cream. "It's just that last time you were left to your own devices with some guy, you became known as the school tease," he muttered to himself. The sound of Mia slamming her hand on the table made him look up.

"As much as you obviously would like to think otherwise, I'm not in fact deaf," she hissed. She shook her head and quickly stood up from her seat, storming out of the ice cream parlor. Andy sighed.

"Mi, wait," Andy said, quickly following her. Christian and Nathan sat back in their seats, briefly looking at one another.

"I'm guessing there'll never be a dull moment with those two around," Christian observed. Nathan snickered.

"You've just realized that?" He asked.

"Oh I figured it out a while ago... I just like stating the obvious." He replied. Outside, Andy found Mia sitting on the hood of his car with her arms crossed over her chest. Andy walked over and climbed up on the hood beside her.

"You're a jerk," she said, not looking at him. Andy sighed.

"Hey, at least we're even, right?" He said, trying to make a joke. Mia looked up at him.

"I'm sorry, I fail to see how me blurting out your crush compares to you calling me an irresponsible tease." Andy put his hands up.

"Whoa, hang on," he said, "you know that's not what I meant." He sighed again and put a hand on her shoulder. He took her not shrugging his hand off as a good sign. "What I said…..You know that wasn't about you."

"Oh, it wasn't?" Mia said, unconvinced.

"No, it wasn't," he swore. "It's just that……Mi, how long have we been friends?"

"A while, I suppose," she shrugged.

"Right, and with us being friends for a while, do you really think I would disrespect you like that?"

"Then why did you say it?" She asked, sliding off the hood and standing up. "You of all people know how much I hated what happened, so why would you go there?"

"Because I don't want it to happen again," he stated. Mia looked at him with a quizzical look. "What I mean is, all right when Josh asked you out, he seemed like an okay guy and then….with him turning out to be an ass, well most likely someone who is actually an ass wouldn't be much better for you." Mia just looked at him.

"Andy...Chris isn't an ass." She replied softly. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Not that it matters either way, since it's not like that."

"Oh please, Mia, we all know he has a thing for you," Andy countered.

"Whether or not he does is irrelevant. I don't have a thing for him," Mia insisted.

"Oh, so what's with you being nice to him and riding his motorcycle?" Andy replied.

"He saved your life," Mia replied. "I was grateful I wasn't going to need to break in a new best friend."

"So your thank you was to ride off on that _thing_ with him?" Andy questioned skeptically. Mia shrugged. Part of her was unsure why she had gotten on the back of his motorcycle, but for the sake of her own argument, she decided to come up with a good enough excuse.

"Was just trying to be nice," she said. "And I've never ridden on a motorcycle before so, figured it'd be a fun thing to try." Andy peered at her with a skeptical look on his face.

"Uh huh...I'm sure your mom and brothers would just _love_ to hear that it 'would be a fun thing to try," he said. Mia narrowed her eyes at him.

"Well, it's too bad they won't be hearing about it," she said, the unspoken threat of what would happen if they did hear about it clear in her tone. She shook her head. "Either way, it doesn't matter why I rode on his bike. The fact is what you did in there was wrong," she said, her hand sweeping towards the ice cream parlor. Andy sighed and slid off his hood, standing in front of her.

"Okay, the way it came out was wrong. I shouldn't have implied that you're the one who needs keeping an eye on. I just meant that last time you were alone with a guy it went wrong. What kind of best friend would I be if I didn't look out for you and make sure nothing like that or worse happened?" Mia shook her head.

"Andy, you know you can't act like my body guard forever, right?" She asked, smiling gently. "For one thing, I don't think Nate would like it," she teased. Andy sighed.

"I really don't want to see him break your heart though Mi...In _that_ way or otherwise." Mia sighed.

"Like the song says, hun; I'm a big girl, I can handle myself," she said. Andy frowned.

"Yeah, your song quote choice isn't helping," he pointed out. Mia laughed.

"Out of context, doofus," she pointed out. "Anyway, no one's breaking anyone's heart," she said, before giving a look to her longtime friend. "Be sure your boyfriend gets that message by the way. If he breaks your heart, he'll have me to worry about." Andy laughed.

"What was that about not being a bodyguard?" He asked.

"That's different." She replied. Andy snorted. "Okay," Mia said with a shrug. "Maybe it's not _that _different." Andy laughed before looking at her.

"I'm not going to be happy about Christian," he admitted firmly. Mia sighed and opened her mouth to speak but Andy continued. "I know you say he's not an ass and that it's not like that but I see otherwise on both accounts. All I can give you right now is trying to act civil for the sake of us all having to work together, but that's it." Mia sighed.

"I guess that'll work, for now," she said. "But it wouldn't kill you to be at least somewhat nice to the guy who saved your life today," she reminded him. Andy rolled his eyes. "I know he seems like a jerk but he's not like that. We talked and…I don't know, to be honest he deserves sympathy more than contempt." Andy looked at her.

"Really now? Care to explain?" He questioned. Mia shook her head.

"I can't really elaborate since, well, it's his business and I don't know if it's my right to share. But let's just say he hasn't exactly had an easy life." Andy rolled his eyes.

"Right."

"Just, cut him some slack, okay?" Mia asked. "Would I be pushing this if I didn't actually believe he might be an okay guy deep down?" Andy frowned.

"Are you sure you're not into him?" He questioned. Mia smacked his arm.

"Yes I'm sure!" She said, rolling her eyes.

"Fine, fine!" Andy replied, rubbing his arm where Mia had hit him. "You'd tell me though, right?" He asked.

"Of course I would," she assured him. "Let's just get back inside, okay? I'm sure Nate's itching to get you back beside him," she grinned. Andy rolled his eyes.

"Cut that out, would you?" He asked. Mia laughed.

"Sorry, just happy you got your man," she said. She looked at him. "Are you happy?" She asked. Andy nodded.

"Yeah," he said. Mia smiled.

"Good," she said. "Come on," she said, turning to go back inside. Andy put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Hey, Mi?" He asked, Mia turned and looked at him. "Just wanted to let you know…remember earlier that comment you made about me leaving my crush to come check on you?" Mia paused as she tried to remember what he was referring to before nodding. "Well, I just want you to know that just because Nathan isn't……….just my crush anymore…….doesn't mean things will change. You come first always, okay?" He asked. Mia smiled softly and stepped closer to him, pulling him into a hug.

"No I don't," she said. "But I'll settle for being a close second," she chuckled. Andy laughed and returned the hug.

"Oh all right," he said. The two friends drifted out of the hug. "Guess we should go back inside, unless we want Nathan and Christian to think we killed each other or something," he chuckled. Mia laughed and nodded.

"Sounds good to me." She replied as they headed back in to the ice cream parlor. The two walked back inside and rejoined Christian and Nathan at the table. Once Andy resumed his seat beside Nathan, he slid his hand back into Nathan's.

"Everything okay?" Nathan asked. The two friends nodded.

"Yup, it's all good," Mia affirmed.

"Good to know." Christian commented quietly. Andy looked down at his ice cream and saw that it had begun to severely melt in his absence.

"Today's just not a good day for me and ice cream," he joked.

"Maybe next time." Nathan replied squeezing his hand. Andy looked over at him and grinned.

"Yeah," he said.

"So, have you two come up with a way for us all to kill the rest of the day while Andy and I were away?" Mia asked.

"Nah, we were too busy observing how much entertainment being around you two will provide," Christian smirked. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Oh, how funny," she said dryly. Nathan chuckled. Andy shrugged.

"We could always go to the beach," Andy suggested. Mia smiled.

"You suggesting we hit the beach, how shocking," she teased. Andy shrugged.

"Got anything better?" He replied. Mia shook her head.

"I'm not knocking your idea, just saying that it's not that shocking," she said. Andy rolled his eyes at his friend.

"Sounds like fun," Nathan shrugged.

"Sure, whatever," Christian muttered.

"Great," Andy said, looking at Nathan. "So, I'll drop you and Mia off at your houses so you can get appropriate beach attire, swing by my place so I can get my stuff and turn around and pick you guys up and we can go……Oh and Christian can just meet us there," Andy shrugged.

"Oh, how nice of you," Christian muttered. Mia sighed.

"Wouldn't it make more sense, so you don't have to go all over the place, for you to take Nathan and I ride with Christian?" Mia asked, seeing Andy's attempt to exclude Christian. Andy quirked an eyebrow at his friend.

"And what would your parents say when they see him pull up to the diner on his bike, with their _hijita preciousa_ on the back of said bike?" Andy smirked.

"They'd say nothing, because it's none of their business." She replied sweetly. Andy snorted.

"Uh, your mom seems to make my business her business, so how exactly is what you do not her business?" He asked.

"I can drop you off a block away from the diner," Christian said to Mia, "so your parents don't say anything," he shrugged. Andy frowned, seeing his one reason for her not to ride with Christian having holes poked into it. Mia smiled.

"Sounds good to me," she said.

"Oh yeah, hooray for Christian's great plan," Andy grumbled. Mia kicked Andy under the table.

"We'll meet you guys at the beach then?" She questioned sweetly. Andy threw her a glare and rubbed his sore shin against his other leg.

"Yeah," Nathan nodded.

"All right, I guess we'll go then," Christian said, picking up his and Mia's empty ice cream cups and tossing them out. Mia smiled at him as he walked to the trash can. Andy narrowed his eyes and returned the kick she had given him moments before.

"Ow." Mia grumbled.

"Are you sure there isn't something you need to tell me?" Andy asked pointedly. Mia blinked.

"Positive," she insisted, crouching down a bit in her seat to rub her sore shin.

"Uh huh, sure." Andy muttered.

"Ready to go?" Christian asked as he came to stand by the table. Mia nodded and stood up.

"You bet." She replied, smiling. Christian smiled.

"Alright," he said, making his way to the door. Mia turned back to the other two.

"I'll swipe some sodas from home, should we bring anything else?" She asked. Andy shrugged.

"Chips? Some other snacks? Hmm, well, that might be too much to take on Christian's bike so maybe-"

"You'll take care of the snacks then?" Mia smirked. Andy frowned. "See you later," she said in a sing song tone before leaving. Andy glared at the door as she left. Nathan just looked at Andy.

"She'll be fine." He commented. Andy sighed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he said, chuckling a bit. "Even if he does try anything, she'll just sucker punch him like she did that day in the quad." Nathan laughed.

"Exactly," Nathan said.


	10. Chapter 10

Christian shut off the engine of his motorcycle after pulling up to the corner a block away from the diner.

"Here we are, a safe distance from your place so your parents don't kill me," Christian chuckled as Mia pulled off the helmet.

"Thanks," she said, handing it to him as she climbed off the bike. "So, I'll meet you back here in about half an hour?" She asked.

"I can wait for you," he offered. Mia tilted her head to the side and gave him a quizzical look.

"Don't you need to go home to get your stuff?" She asked.

"My place is on the way to the beach," he said. "Makes more sense for me to wait for you and we just stop there on the way, doesn't it?" He asked. Mia thought about it for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah, I guess it does." She replied. "Well, I'll be back in a few," she said, shrugging a bit to herself before turning and walking away. Once she reached the diner, she crossed her fingers to herself, hoping her arrival wouldn't inspire her parents to have her wait tables. This hope, however, vanished when she walked in and saw the business wasn't short of staff today. It was one of the perks of being in anyway connected to the Rodriguez children—any and all their friends could always count on a summer or after school job in the family business whenever they wanted to earn pocket money. As it was, Eddie's girlfriend Leslie was manning the register while Ricky and Tony's girlfriends Sarah and Janet were waiting tables along with Lucy and Maria and some other friends Sarah, Janet and Lucy had recruited. Ricky and Eddie were doing their busboy duty while Tony and his best friend Greg helped Alex in the kitchen.

"Hey Mia," Leslie called to her as Mia walked in. Mia smiled and waved at her as she made her way to the upstairs apartment.

"You coming to help us out?" Tony called out after catching sight of her from the window in the kitchen. Mia frowned and made a detour to the kitchen. She knew if she replied to Tony he'd just make a crack about her being irresponsible so she decided to address her father.

"Hey, dad, Andy, me and some friends of ours decided to go to the beach, is that alright?" She asked. Alex looked over at his daughter and gave her a nod.

"Sure. You kids deserve a break with that prep class you're taking," he observed. After two days of her and Andy going off to Kira's house, her parents had grown suspicious as to what was going on, and grew even more puzzled when they overheard Andy mentioning something about Kira when he came to pick her up one of the mornings. Because of this, once the parents asked what was going on, Mia said the teacher in question was holding an SAT prep course at her house for a few exceptional students. The explanation seemed to suit her parents just fine and they left it alone. Mia grinned.

"Thanks Dad!" She replied enthusiastically. She went to leave before turning to her father again. "Oh, and would it be alright if I took some drinks?" She asked cautiously.

"Oh, don't ask for too much, Mia, why not ask to take some food too," Tony grumbled. Alex ignored his eldest son and looked at Mia.

"You just go get whatever else you need for the beach, I'll check with your mother to see if we can spare anything," he said. Mia grinned again before running up the stairs. Tony rolled his eyes.

"God dad, just spoil her rotten why don't you?" He muttered. Alex sighed.

"Anthony, why don't you stop commenting on what your sister does and focus on that grilled cheese sandwich you're in the middle of burning to a crisp?" He asked. Anthony just muttered under his breath as he flipped the sandwich over. Upstairs, Mia grabbed her straw beach bag and stuffed the needed essentials into it before rolling up her beach towel and sticking it in there as well. Once her bag was settled she went to her dresser to pick out a bathing suit. After settling on a white tankini she quickly changed into the suit and covered it up with a pair of jean cutoffs and a white sweatshirt that she zipped up to the top. She slipped her sneakers back on before grabbing her bag and jogging back down the stairs, only to have a canvas bag presented to her.

"Mom packed some sodas and snacks," Lucy said as she handed over the bag. Mia, expecting a moderately light package, nearly balked at how heavy it actually was.

"Define 'some'," Mia chuckled as she adjusted the bag on her shoulder.

"Enough to feed an army." Her sister commented. Mia sighed.

"How am I supposed to carry all this?" She muttered to herself. Lucy shrugged.

"Isn't Andy driving his car?" She asked. Mia frowned.

"Uh yeah…….I just mean…….how am I supposed to carry this to the car…." She muttered. Lucy peered at her.

"Where is Andy, anyway?" She asked.

"Getting his stuff from his place," Mia replied.

"So he's picking you up?" Lucy asked.

"Uh, something like that." Mia replied. Lucy crossed her arms over her chest.

"Okay, spill or I'm telling mom and dad," she said. Mia looked at her.

"Tell mom and dad what?" She asked. Lucy shrugged.

"I don't know, but you're obviously hiding something," she replied. Mia sighed.

"Fine, but if I tell you the truth, do you swear to keep this under sister/sister confidentiality and not tell mom, dad, or the guys?" She asked. Lucy grinned a bit. Mia herself didn't have many secrets so for her to use "sister/sister confidentiality", it had to be something important, especially since it hadn't been used since Mia confided in Lucy that she and Andy had slept together two years ago.

"Ugh, fine." Her sister replied.

"You swear?" Mia asked.

"I swear," Lucy replied, rolling her eyes. Mia nodded.

"Okay, Andy's not picking me up in his car," she said.

"Well I was figuring that," Lucy said. Mia sighed.

"Help me carry this stuff out, will you?" She asked. Lucy frowned.

"I thought you were going to tell me-"

"I will, but not where any of our darling brothers or parents can hear us," Mia said. Lucy sighed and took Mia's beach bag, the lighter of the two bags.

"You're lucky I'm on my break," she said.

"Whatever." Mia commented. The two sisters left the diner. "Come with me," she said. Lucy shrugged and followed her as the two walked a block away from the eatery to find Christian sitting on his motorcycle.

"What the hell is this?" Lucy questioned. Christian climbed off his bike and approached the two girls.

"Good to see you too, Lucy, congrats on graduating by the way. I heard you gave a killer valedictorian speech," he said in a nonchalant tone. Lucy narrowed her eyes at him before looking at Mia.

"Why is he here? Please don't tell me he's your ride to the beach." Mia gave her sister a sheepish smile.

"Hence why I swore you to secrecy."

"Okay, since when is he giving you ride worthy? Last I heard you and Andy were trying to take turns ripping him to shreds and the twins were ready to toss him out of the diner when he came by later that evening," Lucy stated, obviously having had heard about what went on a few days ago. Mia rolled her eyes.

"He's in the SAT prep course with us and we're getting along now," she said. Christian gave her an odd look, which she returned with an 'I'll explain later' look. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Whatever Mia... Now is there anything else?" She demanded. Mia pursed her lips for a moment before shaking her head.

"You won't tell mom and dad, right?" She asked. Lucy sighed and handed her the beach bag.

"Yeah," she said. Mia smiled.

"Thanks sis," she said.

"Yeah, yeah, drive safe," Lucy said before leaving. Mia smiled.

"Thanks." She commented. She jumped a bit at the feel of the canvas bag being lifted off her shoulder. She turned to see Christian taking it from her.

"Man, what's in here? The kitchen sink?" Christian chuckled. Mia sighed.

"I asked if I could take some sodas along and somehow it became mom packing some picnic or something. No idea how we're supposed to carry all this," she said, looking at his bike. Christian simply turned on his heel and walked back to the bike where he lifted the seat of the bike to reveal a medium sized compartment underneath the seat. "Ah, I guess that's how," she muttered. Christian shot her a smile.

"Gotta love having this thing...It comes in handy a lot." He chuckled at her impressed look. "How else do you think I carry stuff to school?" Mia shrugged.

"Never really thought about it honestly. Carried it on your back, I guess?" Christian chuckled a bit before going back to her and taking her beach bag.

"That wouldn't be very safe say there was an accident. Having something on you that could get dragged under something or caught in something…yeah, bad idea," he said.

"I see," Mia replied as she followed him to the bike and watched him stick her beach bag in the compartment before putting the seat back in place. Christian smiled.

"Ready?" He questioned. Mia nodded. Christian handed her the helmet as he climbed back on and waited for her to get on. Mia pulled the helmet on and climbed on behind him before he switched on the ignition and drove away. He drove for twenty minutes before they reached the more rundown part of Destruction Bay. He slowed as they rolled to a stop next to a four-story tall building with broken windows and missing doors. Mia blinked as Christian put down the kickstand.

"Where are we?" She questioned, pulling off the helmet. Christian shrugged.

"My place," he stated simply.

"Clearly...But where exactly is 'your place'?" She questioned.

"An affordable place in town," he grumbled. He climbed off the bike and looked at her. "You can wait here if you want," he said. Mia glanced around, noting older men sauntering towards the bike, eyeing Mia. Mia looked back at Christian and shook her head.

"I think I'll come in." She replied, the fear evident in her voice. She quickly climbed off the bike and stood beside him, unconsciously snaking her arm around his. Christian looked down at her as he felt her arm tighten around his.

"You're safe." He told her gently as they headed towards the building. The two entered the building where he led her to a set of broken stairs that looked to be barely standing. "Careful, some of the steps aren't too all together," he said as he led her up the stairs. True to his words, some of the steps looked broken off with splintering chunks of wood sticking out.

"Uh, can I follow you up?" She questioned. Christian looked at her and nodded.

"Yeah, just watch your step and you'll be fine," he said. He pulled his arm out of her grasp and took hold of her hand as the two walked up the stairs, Mia mirroring which steps he landed on and which ones he skipped. They soon reached a landing and, much to Mia's delight, did not need to continue upwards as Christian led her down the door filled corridor until they reached his apartment. He took his keys out from his pocket and unlocked the door. He pushed the door open after he unlocked it and motioned for Mia to go inside. Mia nodded and carefully walked into the apartment, taking in the space as Christian walked in behind her and shut the door.

"Nice place," Mia said politely. Christian snorted as he walked past her.

"For what it is, it's alright... Granted, it's not something you'd be used to." He commented as he walked over to a dresser that was sitting between the wall and a futon. Mia frowned.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.

"I think the look you had on your face the second I pulled up here says what I mean," Christian replied as he opened one of his drawers and rifled through it.

"It's just that...I didn't realize..." She fumbled over her words. Christian grabbed what he was looking for and pulled it out before turning around.

"Mia...It's okay." He replied. Mia sighed.

"No, it's not," she said. "I was….making a judgment and…" she shrugged, "after our conversation at the lake, I told myself I'd hold off from doing any more of that," she muttered. She looked up at him. "I don't mean to pry……but……well……….your bike, it looks pretty expensive…….how could you afford it…….and uh-"

"Why don't I sell it and try to move somewhere nicer?" He supplied. Mia frowned.

"Was trying to find a nicer way to put it…….but yeah," she said.

"It was a gift," he said, seeing it as a suitable enough answer for both queries.

"Oh." Was all she replied with.

"Yeah," he said. "It would probably be more practical to sell it but-"

"It means something to you," Mia nodded. "I understand." Christian gave Mia a half smile.

"Yeah." He replied softly.

"Old girlfriend?" She blurted out, before pausing and shaking her head. "Not that it's any of my business, I'm sorry." Christian slowly approached her.

"It's not?" He asked softly. Mia blinked and shook her head.

"No. I mean…….I don't want to me nosy," she said. "I'm sure whomever gave you the bike is very special and……uh……but even if they're not…….still not my business…." She said, looking down as her words stumbled over one another. She felt Christian come to a stop a few inches away from her. Mia cleared her throat and quickly looked up. "We should go," she abruptly said. She winced at how that might've sounded. "Not that I mean I'm raring to get out of here…Just mean that Andy and Nate might be waiting for us."

"Um, alright." Christian replied. He held up what he had pulled out of the dresser drawer to reveal a pair of shorts. "I'll just go and change and we can head out," he said. Mia nodded and watched as he made his way to the small bathroom at the corner of his apartment. On his way there he picked up an undershirt lying on the ratty and worn couch. "I'll be right out,' he said over his shoulder before shutting the bathroom door.

"Okay," she replied, though she was pretty sure he didn't hear her. Mia sighed and aimlessly walked around the small abode. The bulk of the apartment consisted of a small studio-like apartment in that it was just one room. The dresser and futon made up what was supposed to be his bedroom in one corner of the apartment, while a fridge, small row of counters and a stove that looked like it could be a fire hazard if ever turned on lined themselves on the diagonal end of the place. On the same wall as the kitchen area was the couch with a small TV set propped up on milk crates not too far from it. Mia shrugged a bit to herself and walked over to the couch and sat down. She nearly yelped, not expecting the tattered cushion she planted herself to give way as much as it did and she nearly sank into the couch. She scrambled a bit to regain her footing on the floor and settle on the couch, only to have a loose spring in the couch poke into the small of her back. "Ouch!" She exclaimed, jumping up to her feet. She rubbed her sore back, cursing the wretched spring as the door to the bathroom opened up. She looked up and froze at the sight of Christian coming out in a pair of red board shorts and the white undershirt that he was still in the middle of putting on, giving her a glimpse of his stomach which caught her eye on two fronts—it's nicely toned nature, and the jagged scar she could see that started around his abs and went down past were the shorts covered him.

"Everything okay?" Christian asked as he finished pulling his shirt on. Mia blinked, tearing her eyes away from his stomach and focusing on the floor.

"Uh….your couch…….it doesn't seem to like me," she muttered nervously. Christian looked at her as he walked over.

"What do you mean?" He asked. Mia bit her lip.

"Nothing," she muttered. She knew if she made any sort of comment about the dilapidated couch, it would only come out sounding like a negative judgment on his living situation and she wanted to try her best not to offend him.

"Really?" Christian commented. "Then why the yelling?" He asked as he stopped next to her.

"I uh…….thought I saw a……" She stopped herself mid-excuse, catching herself before she said anything that could be just offensive, if not more so, than any comments about his couch.

"Saw what?" Christian asked.

"Nothing," Mia said, finally looking up at him.

"Mia." Christian commented as he put his hands on her shoulders. "What happened?" Mia sighed and looked away.

"It's stupid really, I went to sit down and…….the couch was a bit deeper than I expected and when I tried to get up a spring poked me in the back," she said in a hurried mumble. "I'm sorry," she then added.

"Are you alright?" Christian asked, worry filling his voice. Mia blinked and looked up at him, surprised. She'd expected him to be annoyed or offended or something of that nature. She definitely wasn't expecting him to be worried about her.

"Uh yeah. I think I was just……..more surprised than hurt, really," she said.

"Would you mind...If I checked to make sure you're not bleeding?" He questioned softly. Mia couldn't help it as a blush crept up her cheeks.

"I'm fine, really," she said. "It just……poked me in the back. It probably didn't even break through my sweatshirt, let alone my bathing suit." Christian gave her a soft smile.

"I'm not going to hurt you... I just want to make sure that you don't need to get a tetanus shot." Mia shook her head.

"I didn't mean to imply that I thought that….you know………I just mean that……." She sighed, shaking her head again. "Yeah, okay," she said, giving up with her protest. Christian nodded and moved to stand behind her.

"Where did you say you were poked?" He asked. Mia crossed her arm over herself and did her best to point to the small of her back.

"Around there," she said.

"Alright," Christian replied. He took hold of the hem of her sweatshirt and bathing suit top and pushed both up gently to expose her mid to lower back. Mia's blush intensified as she was very glad he was behind her and couldn't see the scarlet tint her cheeks had adopted. She took a deep breath and just waited for him to finish. She frowned when she realized he seemed to be staring at her back for a long time.

"Every thing all right back there?" She asked.

"Huh?" Christian replied. Mia rolled her eyes and quickly stepped away, shoving her top and sweatshirt back down.

"Okay peep show's over," she muttered.

"I was just trying to see if you're okay," Christian explained. Mia spun around to face him and narrowed her eyes at him.

"It doesn't take that long to check for blood," she replied.

"I was trying to check...It's a little hard that you happen to have a tattoo in the way." He replied. Mia glared at him, partly feeling stupid for forgetting about the small butterfly she had on the small of her back. "What?" Christian asked. "...Oh, its one of those things that nobody knows about right?" He asked. Mia sighed and reached behind herself, sliding a hand over the small of her back before presenting it to him.

"See, no blood. Let's go, shall we?" She said curtly.

"Sorry." He replied quietly. Mia sighed.

"Sorry, just…." She shrugged, "if we keep Andy and Nathan waiting, it'll be just more for Andy to use against you, like the lake detour earlier," she said, before scoffing a bit. "Though maybe he's not too wrong," she muttered.

"About what?" Christian questioned. Mia shook her head.

"Forget it, let's just go" she said. She looked at him. "You should probably grab a towel," she pointed out. Christian stared at her for a moment.

"What is that Andy's not too wrong about?" He asked again. Mia arched one of her eyebrows his way.

"Nothing," she sneered. "I'm sure you'll think of some plausible excuse for it anyway," she said.

"Oh, that's not cryptic," Christian replied.

"So, let me ask, was showing me your rundown place as a way to illustrate oh so horrible life you have to endure and give off that poor wounded soul needing affection persona……did that little idea pop in when we were in the ice cream parlor or while we were heading to the diner?" She asked, a slight accusing tone in her voice.

"Shockingly enough Mia, not everyone has ulterior motives, as much as you'd like to believe that they do." He replied coolly.

"Oh I know not everyone does, just you," Mia replied with mock sweetness. Christian glared at her. For the second time that day she'd gone from being nice to him to making all sort of harsh conclusions about him. He was sick and tired of it.

"Alright then," he said lowly, stalking over to her. Mia's eyes widened a bit, unsure what he was about to do.

"What are you doing?" She asked, taking a step back. Christian finally came to a stop mere few inches from her.

"Well, since you're so sure I'm some opportunist who just uses any way imaginable to get you alone, I might as well play the part, right?" He hissed. Mia looked at him for a moment before shaking her head.

"Whatever, Chris, grab your towel and let's go, alright?" She said, going to step around him to stand by the door. Christian grabbed her arm and pulled her back, using the momentum he'd caused to back her up into the nearby wall.

"No, no, you're so sure that you're right about me," he stated, effectively trapping her between him and the wall. "So, this is just me following your expectations."

"Get off of me," she said in a low even tone, "or you'll regret it."

"Somehow I doubt that." He replied lowly. Mia tightened her jaw and went to shove him away.

"Get off!" She snarled. This only led to Christian tightening his hold on her.

"I don't think so." He replied dropping his head so that he was eye level with her. Mia swallowed thickly, staring at him defiantly.

"When I'm done kicking your ass, Andy's going to kill you," she said, smirking a bit.

"I doubt that on both accounts," he sneered. Mia glared at him.

"Alright, Chris you had your fun, now let me go," she ordered.

"According to all your little accusations, I haven't had my fun yet, have I?" He replied. Mia rolled her eyes and made another attempt to shove him away.

"So, what?" She spat out. "What are you going to do, Christian?" She stared at him directly in the eyes as she thought about how to get out of this. Her mind quickly went to their previous conversation by the lake. "You're gonna force yourself on me or something? What would Gertrude think of that?" Mia in fact had no idea who Gertrude was or her relationship to Christian but given what he said about her at the lake, Mia figured it was a good enough lifeline as any. The words hit Christian like a slap in the face as he released his grip on Mia. Mia let out a relieved sigh and slumped against the wall. "I'm sure she wouldn't think too highly of that at all," she breathed out. Christian stepped away from her.

"Shut up," he said as he moved to the side slowly before slamming his fist into the wall. Mia jumped, yelping a bit. _Okay….so is he going to go all homicidal and kill me now? _She wondered as she thought about whether she was safer with him or running out of his apartment at that very moment. She watched as Christian dropped his head against the wall before sliding down until he was sitting down completely, his back facing her. She glanced at the wall and noticed that there were specks of blood in the indent he'd made. She sighed and ran a hand over her face.

"You're bleeding," she stated softly.

"Whatever," came Christian's reply. "You want to go? Then just go already," he grumbled. Sighing, Mia turned towards the bathroom. She returned a few moments later with a small first aid kit in her hands. She knelt in front of Christian and opened it. Christian looked up at her. "What are you doing?" He asked, not bothering to keep the hostile tones out of his voice. "Just leave already." Mia simply shrugged.

"You know what they say about the devil you know being better than the devil you don't know," she said. "Give me your hand."

"Why?" He demanded. "So that you can tell all your friends how much of a psycho I am?"

"Well, as tempting as that might be, I was just planning on taking care of your banged up hand," she replied. "So, are you going to give me your hand or not?" Christian just thrust his hand forward. "Thank you," she said before taking hold of it and setting it down on her lap as she rifled through the first aid kit. She finally found a few packets of alcohol wipes and tore one open. She looked down at the hand and saw the damage he had done to it in punching the wall. It didn't look like he'd broken anything, but his knuckles were red and raw and the ones at his index and middle fingers were bleeding. She stretched his fingers out gently, holding them at the tips while she ran the alcohol wipes over them. Christian flinched as the wipes touched his open cuts.

"That stings," he grumbled.

"Oh don't be such a baby," Mia replied as she continued cleaning his hand.

"I'm not." He replied sourly. Mia bit back a retort as she continued to clean off the blood. There was silence for a few moments before Mia spoke.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"For what?" Christian asked.

"For what I said. If I'd known mentioning Gertrude would cause this much drama, I wouldn't have said what I said," she said. Christian sighed.

"I shouldn't have lost my temper like that..." He replied. "It's just that..." He trailed off.

"It doesn't matter," Mia said, shaking her head as she finished cleaning his cuts. "We were both out of line……..sure one of us more so than the other…." she said, giving him a pointed look. "Let's just finish this up, go to the beach and forget all about this." Christian blinked, looking at her for a moment.

"Don't say that," he ordered. Mia looked up from his hand.

"Don't say what?" She asked.

"Don't just try to sweep this under the rug," he stated firmly. He shook his head. "You're not like that." Mia tilted her head to the side and gave him a quizzical look.

"Not like what?" She asked.

"You're not the little victim who just goes along trying to get along," he replied. Mia frowned and reached into the kit to pull out some gauze to wrap up his knuckles.

"Was Gertrude like that?" She asked. Christian glared at her and snatched his hand away.

"Stop talking about Gertrude. You didn't know her," he said. Mia nodded.

"Alright," she said. "I won't talk about her," she looked at him. "Can I finish taking care of your hand?" Christian simply held out his hand again and let her take it.

"To answer your question, no she wasn't like that," he said as she began to wrap the gauze around his hand.

"Oh." Was all that Mia replied with. "Do you want to tell me who was?" She asked after a moment. Christian was quiet for a long while. Mia shut her mouth and figured she'd overstepped some boundaries and just continued her work on his hand.

"My mother," he breathed out after a while, causing Mia to freeze. After a moment she looked up and spoke.

"What?" She whispered. Christian looked down.

"My dad wasn't a very nice guy," he replied.

"Oh." She trailed off. "Is that how..."

"How what?" Christian asked. Mia bit her lip and slowly extended her hand to his stomach, pointing to where she'd seen the scar. Christian looked down and nodded.

"After she decided she wanted to put a stop of her usual pretend everything's okay and forget it all with the help of booze routine, she left. Apparently she didn't think I was important enough to take with her. Needless to say, my dad wasn't very pleased."

"I……..I'm so sorry," she whispered. Christian shrugged her apology off.

"He got drunk one night and came after me with a broken bottle... Luckily one of my neighbors heard the commotion and called 911." He gave a sardonic chuckle. "Apparently dad didn't understand that broken beer bottles aren't a seven year old's best friend."

"You were seven?!" Mia questioned, horrified. She shook her head. "You were just a kid! How could he do that?" She exclaimed. Christian shrugged.

"He didn't care." He replied honestly. "Are you done yet?" He asked. Mia blinked.

"Huh?" She asked. When Christian began talking about his parents, Mia stopped working on her hand and had almost completely forgotten she hadn't finished wrapping his hand. She looked down. "Oh, no, not yet, sorry," she muttered.

"It's okay." He replied.

"I'm almost done," she said, going back to wrapping his hand. She wasn't sure what else to say about what he had said so she simply focused on her primary task. After a few minutes she placed his hand back down on her lap and fished out the roll of medical tape from the kit and a pair of small scissors.

"You seem to be pretty handy with this stuff," Christian observed. Mia briefly glanced up from cutting off a piece of tape from the roll and gave a tiny half smile.

"Family owns a diner, ergo working in kitchen, ergo possible kitchen mishaps, ergo we all learned basic first aid at a young age," she explained. Christian chuckled a bit.

"I can't be sure, but I think using 'ergo' three times in one sentence is grammatically incorrect," he joked, trying to cut through the tension in the room. Mia giggled as she continued to work on finishing up.

"All done," she said after she secured the gauze with the strip of tape. Christian nodded and pulled his hand away. Mia looked down as the room was engulfed in silence, neither sure what to say or do next.

"I'm sorry," Mia finally said in a small voice.

"So am I." He replied honestly. Then there was silence again. Mia sighed and looked up, her eyes roaming over the apartment, feeling too awkward to look at him.

"We should…..probably not mention this stuff to the others," she muttered. "Andy would have a conniption."

"That he would." Christian agreed.

"Yeah," Mia said. "So….uh…..I guess……um," she mumbled, her words tripping over themselves. "Should……we go?" She asked, unsure what else there was to say. Christian nodded.

"Yeah, I guess so." He replied. The two slowly climbed to their feet. Christian reached out to help her up, only to have her shy away slightly and get to her feet herself.

"Sorry," she muttered. Christian looked at her for a moment, unsure whether to feel hurt or understand her reaction.

"You might not have to say anything to Andy," Christian said, his conflicting emotions creating an even and neutral tone. "He'll catch a whiff of this restraining order atmosphere and know something's up." Mia sighed.

"I didn't mean to…" She said, her voice trailing off.

"Whatever." He replied, turning away.

"Chris...I am sorry." She whispered. Christian simply stood with his back to her. He could understand why she reacted like that, seeing what he had done mere minutes before, but it did hurt. It reminded him of all the times his mother seemed to flinch any time his father even came into the same room before she left them. Mia stepped forward and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. Christian jumped slightly, his gaze snapping to her as the touch got him by surprise. He blinked, his eyes staring at the hand on his shoulder for a long moment before looking up at her face. "I don't think you're..." She began, letting her voice trail off. "If that's what you thought………I mean……." She sighed. "Can you say something please? I'm feeling like a special kind of idiot right now."

"Thank you," he said in such a soft tone, Mia almost didn't hear him.

"Yeah." She replied. The two stood there, looking at each other for a moment. Mia blinked and looked away. "Um………towel," she muttered lamely.

"What?" Christian asked. Mia blinked and looked up at him.

"You need to grab a towel…….for the beach……" she said, her tone not losing its awkward tone.

"Oh, right." He replied. Mia nodded and slipped her hand off his shoulder as he disappeared into the bathroom. Mia looked around before remembering she had left the first aid kit unattended. She shrugged to herself a bit before kneeling down and putting the rolls of gauze and tape and the scissors back into the kit. As she finished, Christian exited the bathroom and watched as Mia stood, kit in hand.

"You didn't have to do that," he said. Mia shrugged.

"I did bring it out here and took all the stuff out, only seemed fair I put the stuff away," she said.

"I can take it." He replied.

"Oh, okay," Mia said, approaching him. "Here, I might as well hold this while you're putting the kit away," she said, going to take the towel from him with one hand as she held the kit out to him with the other. Christian grabbed the kit and handed Mia the towel, his hand lingering against hers for a moment longer than necessary.

"Thanks." he replied. Mia nodded and maneuvered the towel into a tight roll before sticking it under her arm as he put the kit away. She bit her lip, looking down at the hand he had just touched. She had noticed the extended hand contact that had just occurred and couldn't help wonder if it had been intentional or an accident, and even more so, she couldn't help wonder which of the two options she wanted it to be.


	11. Chapter 11

"Alright, let's go," Christian said, startling Mia a bit as her eyes snapped up to see him coming out of the bathroom and making his way over to her.

"Ok," She replied. Christian reached over and wordlessly took the towel from her before walking to the door with Mia at his heels. Christian opened the door and stepped aside, holding it open for her. Mia gave him a small smile.

"Thanks," she said as she walked out of the apartment. Christian nodded and followed her out, pulling the door shut behind him. He went to pull his keys out to lock the door only to sigh and shake his head.

"I'm an idiot," he muttered.

"What's up?" Mia asked.

"I left my keys in my other pants," he said. Mia couldn't help chuckle a bit.

"I'll hold the towel while you go get them," she said, taking the towel back from him. Christian couldn't help chuckle as well.

"It's like we're playing hot potato with this thing or something," he muttered as he released the towel and let her take it. Mia grinned as she slipped her hands under his and grabbed the towel.

"Go on." She commented. Christian nodded.

"I'll be right back," he said, opening his door and going back into the apartment.

"I'll be here." She replied as she looked up and down the hallways. She leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes as she waited for Christian to return. She heard footsteps approaching her. "That was fast Chris." She commented as she opened her eyes. She gasped slightly when she saw a man who was in fact not Chris standing before her. "Oh…….uh, sorry, thought you were someone else," she muttered.

"Oh, I can be whoever you want me to be baby." He replied huskily as he stepped towards her. Mia's eyes widened and she quickly moved away from the wall and put distance between herself and the stranger.

"How about 'far away from me'?" She suggested.

"Hmm, I don't think so." He replied stepping towards her. Mia moved away from him, making sure to keep herself out of his reach. The man simply took another step towards her and eyed her from head to toe. "So, how much?" He smirked. Mia's eyes narrowed.

"Excuse me?" She said lowly.

"You heard me," he replied. "I saw you come up with that little punk Christian. So, now that you've tried out the little boy, how much is it going to cost for you to have a taste of a real man?" He sneered. Mia glared at him. She wasn't sure who she was madder at in that moment: at the man for making such insinuations, at Christian for taking so long to get his keys, or at herself for not going inside with Christian.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to just pass on that," she spat, not bothering to hide the disgust in her voice. The man simply took a step closer to her; Mia went to move away, only to find that she'd backed herself into a corner. "Damn," she muttered to herself. "Back off ya perv, I'm not a fucking prostitute," she hissed at him, shoving past him and going to walk back to Christian's door. For the second time that day, her attempts to walk past an approaching male was refuted as she'd barely gotten three steps away from the creep when she felt a hand tightly grip her wrist and yank her back with such force she fell down. He grinned and laughed as he started dragging her down the hall. "Let go of me!" She shrieked as she tried to get back to her feet to properly fight him off.

"I don't think so bitch." He commented as he continued to pull her. Mia grunted and shrieked as she tried to pull out of his grasp but it was a futile effort. She felt him suddenly stop as he reached one of the apartments down the hall from Christian's and wrap his other arm around her waist hauling her up to her feet and trapping her against him before releasing her wrist and using the now free hand to open the door.

"No!" Mia yelled, kicking her foot back and catching his shin with her heel.

"Ow!" The man snarled, dropping her. Mia landed on her hands and knees and quickly scrambled back up to her feet. She was tempted to spin around and deliver another blow but figured it was wiser to run. Unfortunately, he recovered quickly to his hurt shin and grabbed her around the waist again before she could get too far. "You're going to regret that," he hissed in her ear as he pulled her back to the door he'd manage to get open.

"Let me go!" She cried as he yanked her backwards. She squeezed her eyes shut as she struggled against him, grunting and shrieking as she tried to get out of his grasp. One hand went to the edge of the doorway to keep herself from being pulled inside as the other shoved at the arm on her waist. She was so busy fighting him off she didn't even hear an apartment door being yanked open, or the footsteps rushing in their direction. She didn't notice anything until the arms released her and sent her crashing to the ground. Mia gasped and quickly spun over just in time to see Christian's fist slam into the man's jaw. The hit would've knocked the man down if it weren't for the grip Christian had on the front of his shirt.

"Leave her alone, Jim." Christian snarled as he struck another blow to the man's face before shoving him backwards into the apartment. He knelt down next to Mia and scooped her up into his arms before heading back down the hall. Mia wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest as she felt herself being carried a few steps before her feet were set back on the ground. One of Christian's arms went around her waist, protectively keeping her against him as he shut and locked his door.

"You little punk," Jim shouted as he crawled to his feet. Mia slightly turned her head on Christian's chest and saw blood pouring from his nose as he supported himself against his doorway, stumbling against it as his grasp slipped slightly. "You better pack your shit; you're fucking out of here!" Christian didn't reply as he pulled his keys out of the door and grabbed Mia's arm.

"Let's get you out of here," he muttered, pulling her to the stairs. Mia tried her best to watch her steps as they went down, but her mind was whirring and she ended up tripping against Christian, who simply put an arm around her waist and steadied her on her feet, holding her against him so she was forced to hit the same steps as he did. They were soon at the bottom of the steps and Christian released her waist, still keeping his hold on her arm, before leading her out the building. Mia balked slightly when she saw a man in his 60s standing near Christian's bike. Christian looked at her. "It's okay," he assured her as they continued on to the bike.

"Christian, something wrong?" The man asked, nearing the bike as Christian and Mia approached it.

"Get on," Christian told Mia, grabbing the helmet off the seat and handing it to her. Mia simply stood by him, unsure as to whether she should move away from him while around this new stranger. Christian sighed and gently squeezed her arm.

"It's okay," he repeated his previous assurance.

"Christian?" The older man asked. Christian turned his gaze to him.

"Jim's upstairs with a broken nose," he simply said, guiding Mia to the bike, keeping his hand on her arm as he had her get on it before taking the helmet from her and putting it on her head for her. The man sighed and regarded Mia with a careful look.

"What happened?" He asked. Christian climbed on the bike and turned on the ignition, deciding not to answer as he revved up the engine. Mia slid closer to him on the bike and wrapped her arms around his waist. The man sighed again and went towards the building

"While you're checking on sonny boy, you might want to remind him who's the landlord and who's the moocher living rent free in daddy's building," Christian barked as he pulled away. Christian drove for a few minutes until he reached the area where he'd taken Mia earlier that day. He slowed his bike to a stop and put the kickstand down. He placed his hands on top of Mia's before sliding off the bike. He turned around to face her before sliding her helmet off. Mia blinked as the helmet was pulled off of her and simply looked at Christian. He kneeled down beside the bike, putting the helmet on the ground before taking Mia's hands in his. "Are you okay?" He asked gently. Mia blinked and gave a small nod.

"I……uh……I think I dropped your towel though," she muttered. Christian bit the inside of his cheek to keep from chuckling at how absurd it was for her to mention his towel at that moment.

"Don't worry about the towel." He reassured her. "Are you sure you're alright?" He asked again. Mia blinked again, her eyes losing their somewhat lost look before nodding again. She pulled one of her hands out of his hold and ran it over her face.

"Yeah," she said, "I'm fine," she nodded. "Just……um…..was freaked….." She put her hand down and looked at him. "Thanks," she said. Christian nodded.

"Anytime." He replied quietly. Mia looked down.

"It….was scary," she said after a moment. "I mean…..when you pulled the alpha male thing….." she shrugged a bit, "I think I was more pissed off than actually scared……..But, that guy…" She let her voice trail off and shook her head. Christian sighed.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you out there like that," he said.

"It's not your fault...You didn't know that was going to happen." She replied. Christian shook his head.

"Doesn't matter, I still shouldn't have done it," he sighed. "Jim's an asshole and gets stupid when he's….." he paused and shook his head again. "I didn't think he was around so didn't think it'd be a problem for you to be outside."

"Oh," was all Mia could think to say. She looked up at him as she recalled what Jim had said after Christian hit him. "You're not in any trouble are you? I mean…..he can't evict you, can he?"

"No, he can't," he assured her. "And even if he could, wouldn't be much of a loss anyway, now would it?" He shrugged.

"But where would you go?" She asked. Christian shrugged again.

"Doesn't really matter, he's not the landlord so I'm in no danger of being homeless or anything."

"Oh," Mia said. "He just thinks he's the landlord?" She asked, confused. Christian chuckled.

"His dad's the landlord," he explained. Mia blinked and made an 'Oh' face as the conversation Christian had with the man came to mind.

"I see," she replied. Christian nodded.

"Its not the first run in I've had with Jim...So Ed knows."

"Oh," Mia said. "I……didn't realize things were that……volatile….." She muttered, though a part of her wondered what he meant by that. Had Christian brought a lot of other girls to his apartment? _Not that that's any of your business, _Mia thought to herself. _It's not like he's your boyfriend or anything…….or that you even like him like that. _Christian shrugged.

"The guy is a prick and just treats women like dirt..." He replied. Mia snorted.

"Gee, really?" She muttered. "I never would've noticed." She sighed. Christian gently squeezed her hand.

"I should take you home," he said gently. Mia shook her head.

"No, I'm fine, really. Let's just go meet the others," she insisted. Christian shrugged.

"Your choice," he replied. Mia sighed and stood up from the bike, forcing Christian to stand up.

"I can only imagine how many messages Andy's left on my phone," she said. She put a hand on the motorcycle's seat before looking at Christian. "Is it all right if I get my phone from my bag to check?" She asked. Christian shrugged.

"Yeah, sure," he said. Mia nodded and lifted the seat, retrieving her beach bag from the bike's compartment. She dug her hand into the bag and pulled out her phone. She nudged her thumb under the cover and flipped it open, her eyebrows shooting up at what she saw in the display screen.

"One message? That's a first," she muttered.

"He just left one?" Christian questioned, amused. Mia nodded as she dialed in to hear the message.

"You have one new message……First new message," the automatic voice said before Andy's voice filled Mia's ear.

"Uh, hey Mi...So change of plans... We're not gonna go to the beach. But I'll call you later kay?" Mia's brows furrowed and she waited for him to give some sort of explanation, only to hear the definitive click of the call ending.

"End of messages," the automatic voice said. Mia's eyes widened.

"What the hell?" She said, pulling the phone from her ear and staring at it in disbelief, as if it was Andy sitting in the palm of her hand instead of her phone.

"What's wrong?" Christian asked. Mia blinked and looked at him.

"He said there's been a change of plans, we're not going to the beach and he'll call me later," she said. Christian nodded.

"Ah," he said. Mia looked back down at her phone, glaring at it harshly. Christian looked at her. "You okay?" He asked. The only response he received was Mia giving a soft grunt as she hurled her phone to the ground. It soared a few feet away from them and missed slamming into a nearby tree by mere inches. Christian arched an eyebrow at the fallen cellular phone before looking back at Mia. "So, that'd be a no then?" He asked.

"What do you think?" She snapped. Christian but his hands up.

"Whoa, relax," he said. "Hey, if you want to go to the beach that badly-"

"It's not about the beach!" Mia yelled, crossing her arms and turning away from him.

"Oh," Christian said. "Let me guess, Andy does this a lot?"

"No. That's…" Mia began, her voice tight and shaky, she took a deep breath. "That's the whole point," she went on, forcing her voice into a calmer tone. "He's always around….and of all the times for him to flake out, today really isn't the best of days for it," she said, her voice strained. She closed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair. "I just….I need Andy right now," she whispered after a moment. Christian looked away, feeling uncomfortable.

"Oh," was all he could think to say. "Sorry you have to settle for just me for now," he muttered. Mia sighed.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I didn't mean for it to sound like I don't…….." She sighed again and turned back around to face him. "These past few days have been crazy, but Andy's been right there with me in the crazy so…..it didn't feel so crazy. And today's been even crazier and I just….I'm just…"

"Feeling crazy?" Christian offered. Mia nodded. She shrugged.

"He's my best friend. Anytime something's happened, whether it was bad or good, he's been there for me. Heck, most of the time he's been apart of it," she chortled. Christian sighed.

"I know I'm not Andy...but I am here." He replied. Mia nodded.

"I know……and don't get me wrong I'm happy that you are," she quickly blurted out before pausing and catching what she had just said and shook her head. "I mean, you know, happy that you were there to stop that guy and….all that…" Christian grinned.

"Uh huh, sure." He replied, laughing a little. Mia looked at him.

"What's that for?" She asked.

"What?" Christian asked. Mia pointed a finger at his face.

"That. You're grinning like the Cheshire cat who got the canary," she said. Christian chuckled.

"Mixing metaphors, nice," he said.

"Don't change the subject," she replied.

"I'm not." He replied. Mia gave him a suspicious look, which only caused him to chuckle again. "Why are you so concerned about whether or not I'm grinning anyway?" He asked, his grin only widening.

"Ugh, forget it." She replied. Christian laughed.

"You know, you're kind of cute when you're frustrated," he said. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Well you must be finding me to be very 'kind of cute' then, since you're very frustrating," she grumbled. Christian grinned.

"Something like that." He replied. Mia blinked and quickly looked away.

"Right," she mumbled nervously before stepping away from him and going to sit at the picnic table that sat about a foot away from the edge of the lake. Christian slowly walked over to the table.

"Am I making you nervous?" He asked, his grin still playing on his face. Mia snorted.

"Don't flatter yourself," she replied.

"I'm not." He replied as he sat down next to her. Mia rolled her eyes and looked up at him. She faltered a bit when she saw how close he was sitting to her but quickly cleared her throat.

"No, Chris, you're not making me nervous at all," she stated.

"Oh really?" Christian asked.

"Yes really," she replied. Christian simply smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"If you say so," he said. Mia glared at him.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like it means." he replied. Mia narrowed her eyes.

"Do you work at this whole nice and bearable one moment and complete embodiment of frustration the next moment thing, or does it just come naturally to you?" She questioned.

"How am I being the, as you put it, 'complete embodiment of frustration'?" He asked. Mia frowned.

"You just are," she said.

"And that's very helpful." He replied. Mia sighed and faced forward, looking out to the lake.

"You're," she paused as she tried to find the right word, "unexpected," she finally said.

"Unexpected?" He asked. Mia looked at him.

"Yes, unexpected. Just when I think I've figured you out, you just…..do something unexpected."

"And why, may I ask are you trying to figure me out?" He asked curiously. Mia blinked and looked back at the lake.

"I'm not," she said. Christian fixed her with an odd look.

"But you just said…" He sighed, shaking his head. "You know what, I think I've decided you're the one who's frustrating," he muttered.

"How am I frustrating?" Mia demanded.

"You're counterintuitive," he replied. Mia blinked.

"Counterintuitive? Okay, now you're just copying what I said about you!" She accused. Christian shrugged.

"If the shoe fits..." He said. Mia glared at him and stood up.

"Ugh, you are so annoying!" She declared. "I can't believe I actually felt sorry for you." Christian just shrugged again.

"I never asked you to feel sorry for me." He replied honestly. "And the whole counterintuitive thing, not the only reason you frustrate me." He continued. Mia crossed her arms over her chest.

"Oh, well please, feel free to enlighten me as to how else I frustrate you," she replied.

"I don't think you want to know." He replied. Mia heaved an annoyed sigh.

"Would I ask if I didn't want to know?" She asked. Christian stood up from the picnic table and strode towards her until the two were practically standing nose to nose.

"Fine, do you really want to know?" He asked. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Yes!" She exclaimed. In a move so quick that Mia had no time to react, Christian grabbed her by her arms and crushed her too him, his lips crashing down on hers. Mia's eyes widened, too stunned to do anything else. After a moment, Christian pulled his lips away from hers but still held her close to him.

"Because you're everything I want, and everything I can't have," he said in a low, husky yet somehow also bitter tone.


	12. Chapter 12

Mia stared at him with wide astonished eyes as she tried to catch her breath, reeling from the kiss.

"Wh...What?" She whispered. She let out a shaky breath and shook her head as she attempted to pull away from him. "No…this is just…just...too crazy….." She muttered.

"No kidding, Mia." Christian replied. Mia was finally able to disentangle herself from his embrace and stepped back.

"You really are psychotic, aren't you?" She hissed. "I mean, god it hasn't even been a week since you called me….what was it? Oh right, a tease and a slut. And now you do this? What the hell is wrong with you?!" She asked shrilly. Christian sighed.

"I _told_ you that you didn't want to know!" He replied. Mia shook her head and went over to where her phone landed when she threw it and picked it up.

"Yeah, I don't want to know any of this," she said as she strode over to his bike and picked up her beach bag. "Because it's complete and utter bull."

"Yes, because suddenly you know _exactly_ how I feel!" Christian replied angrily. Mia looked at him.

"You enjoy antagonizing people," she stated, "whether it's by being a complete asshole or by being surprisingly sweet when you've convinced everyone you're an asshole. That's how you're so frustrating and that's how I know this is bull." Christian gave her an incredulous look.

"What is wrong with you?" He snapped. He walked over to her. "After everything that's gone on today you….what? Think I'm messing with you or something?" Mia didn't reply. Christian shook his head, rubbing a hand over his face for a moment. "Alright Mia," he said. "What's the real problem here?" He asked, looking at her. "Are you mad because I kissed you and said what I said, or are you mad because you enjoyed the kiss?" Mia's eyes widened as she gave him a scandalized look before scoffing and shaking her head.

"Please," she forced out. "Don't think you're all that. I've had much better, believe you me."

"Uh huh, sure. Like Andy for example?" He questioned. Mia narrowed her eyes at him.

"What are you trying to insinuate?" She demanded. Christian shrugged.

"It's like you said, right? He's your best friend. I'm sure he knows you _inside _and out," he replied. Mia gasped.

"You _asshole!_" She cried. She went to slap him but he quickly caught her hand.

"Tell me I'm wrong and I'll apologize," he replied. Mia glared at him as she tried to yank her hand back.

"I don't give a shit about your apology!" She snarled. "Now, let go!"

"No." He replied gently.

"Let go before I make you let go," she hissed through clenched teeth.

"Why should I Mia? Give me a serious and good reason to." He replied.

"What, me wanting you to let go of my hand isn't a good enough reason?" She sneered.

"Not really no." He replied. Mia grounded her teeth and tried to pull her hand away. Christian kept his hold on her. "And you want to know why? Because I really don't think you want me to," he stated. Mia glared at him.

"Oh yeah, and how do you figure that?" She scoffed.

"Because there's about half a dozen things you could do that would make me let go of you and you haven't done any of them," he stated simply. Mia stopped and looked at him.

"That's some flawed logic," she spat out after a moment.

"Is it?" Christian asked. Mia shook her head.

"Look, Chris, I'm not playing around. Seriously, let me go," she ordered.

"Jesus Mia, you don't get it do you?" He questioned. Mia swallowed thickly, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Please," she said softly, her voice shaking slightly. "I've had enough of the whole male overpowering bravado shit for one day. Just let me go." Christian looked at her and sighed. "Please," she said again. Instead of letting her go at that, Christian used the hand he held as a means to pull her closer to him. Once she was close enough his other arm went around her waist and held her to him, hugging her. "No," Mia protested softly, trying to push him away with her one free hand.

"Mia," he gently spoke, "you don't need to be afraid of me." The hand that was trying to push him away stilled against him and she grew quiet. Christian simply held her. After a moment he heard her breath hitch, followed by the sound of a soft sniffle as her fingers curled against his shirt. He rubbed her back gently as sob rocked her body. He tightened his hold on her waist when she felt her slump against him, her knees buckling as another sob came out of her. "It's okay," he whispered before slowly guiding her down to the ground, holding her as they both sat. Christian's soothing tone only made Mia cry harder. Christian pulled her closer, which resulted in her practically sitting on his lap as he continued rubbing her back, trying his best too sooth her when suddenly her phone went off. Mia took a deep breath and tried to get at it. "Ignore it," Christian suggested. Mia shook her head and pulled out of his grasp, not enough to get off his lap, but enough to be able to grab her phone out of her pocket. She looked at the display and gave a sardonic chuckle.

"It's Andy," she bit out. Christian sighed and went to let her go, expecting her to want to answer the phone, only to have the ringing abruptly stop as she shut off her phone and tossed it aside. "I _so _do not want to deal with him right now," she muttered harshly. Christian smiled softly as he put his arms back around her. Mia sighed and laid her head against his shoulder, sitting cradled in his lap as he held her. Christian looked down at her and brought one of his hands up to her face, gently wiping away some of the tears on her cheeks. Mia looked up at him, her eyes glistening with tears as of yet unshed. After a while, his hand traveled from her cheek down to her chin, which he gently gripped with his thumb and forefinger and used to turn her face more towards him before placing a soft kiss on her lips. Mia's eyes fluttered shut, her eyelashes gently tickling his cheeks. Her lips slowly parted against his as her tongue gently touched his bottom lip. Christian pulled back slowly and leaned his forehead against hers.

"Told ya you really didn't want me to let you go," he said, smiling gently. Mia said nothing and simply tilted her head up so her lips could latch back onto his. Christian grinned slightly as he took one of his hands and placed it on the back of her neck as he kissed her back. Mia shifted a bit on his lap so she was facing him, giving him more access to her lips as her hands traveled down the front of his shirt before slipping underneath the hem and touching his stomach. Christian bit down on Mia's lip gently as he felt her hands moving along his stomach. Mia gasped against his lips, the nails of one of her hands gently scratching his skin while her other hand brushed past his scar. She felt Christian's lip pull into a grin as she gasped. One of her fingers gently traced his scar as her tongue flicked against his lip. Christian tightened his hold on her, the gentle touch he felt against his scar making his head swim. It felt as if her finger was erasing the painful memory connected to the skin imperfection and replacing it with something good, something pleasant. Something he wanted. He pulled his lips away from hers.

"Wha…?" Mia murmured, put off by the sudden lack of contact but quickly shut up when his lips moved down to her neck, gently nipping at the skin, which caused Mia to let out a soft sigh, her finger still brushing against this scar.

"You know," he muttered gently against her neck. "I'm beginning to think you really are an angel," he grinned.

"Yeah, you're not allowed to talk anymore if you're just going to sprout out cheesy crap like that," Mia said in a low growl. Christian chuckled.

"Whatever you say," he said, trailing kisses back to her mouth.

"Mmmm." Mia replied. She wasted no time sliding her tongue into his mouth the second his lips returned to hers, pressing her body into him. She didn't even mind it in the slightest when she felt Christian shift them over as he laid her on the ground, she didn't care about the dirt stains that were now affixing themselves to the back of her white sweat shirt. Christian soon followed her down on the ground, half of his body resting on the dirt beside her and half on top of her as one of his hands ran down the length of her torso, past her shorts and slid against her leg. Mia's hands quickly wove themselves in his hair as they continued to kiss. Her leg twitched slightly as Christian continued to run his hand along it. She moved her leg onto the back of his and ground her hips into his. Christian moaned and gently bit down at her lip again as her hips worked a grinding rhythm into his. He tore his mouth from hers, with a brief protesting whimper coming from Mia, and buried his head in the hallow of her neck.

"Jesus," he whispered, his panting breaths hitting the side of her neck.

"Problem?" She replied huskily. Christian moved his hand from her leg and took hold of her hip, ceasing its movements. He looked at Mia.

"Maybe we should slow down a bit... Don't want to get _too_ carried away here." He winked. Mia gave him an amused look.

"Says the guy who's on top of me?" She pointed out.

"I just don't want to force you to do anything you don't want to." He replied honestly. Mia sighed and laid her head on the ground, her eyes staring up at the sky.

"Does it look like I'm complaining down here?" She asked.

"No." Christian replied, glancing down at her. "And maybe that's even more of a reason why we should slow down," he advised. Mia tilted her head down to look at him.

"Are you serious?" She questioned. Christian peered at her for a long moment.

"Are you doing this because you want to?" He asked. Mia rolled her eyes.

"No, there's an invisible person standing right beside me holding a gun to my head," she said sarcastically.

"You know what I mean," Christian said. "Is this what you want or are you just reacting to what happened outside my apartment?"

"What do you think?" She questioned seriously. "Would I really be in this position if I didn't want it?" The huskiness in her tone coming through.

"Well, you can't blame me fore being skeptical, given how you reacted when I kissed you before," he pointed out. Mia shrugged.

"You caught me off guard."

"If you're sure." Christian replied somewhat skeptical. Mia nodded.

"Trust me, I am." She replied. She sighed when he still looked unsure. "Okay, look, either get off me or lets go back to what we were doing…..this in between thing is making me feel stupid," she groaned, rolling her eyes. Christian rolled off her and knelt beside her. He kissed her gently before scooping her up in his arms again. Mia yelped as her arms flew around his neck. "What are you doing?" She questioned as he walked them back towards his bike.

"I figured you'd like to be a little more comfortable that lying on the dirt." He replied, giving her another wink. Mia gave a look at the ground and shrugged.

"It served a purpose," she said.

"I'm sure there are other places that would 'serve a purpose' just as well, if not better than that." Christian replied as he set her down gently on his bike.

"Like where?" She countered. "Your place?" Christian gave her a hard look.

"You're never setting foot in that building again," he stated. Mia bit back a witty retort before going silent for a moment.

"We could always go back to my house..." She trailed off. Christian looked at her, eyebrows raised.

"Uh, your brothers aren't exactly fans of mine... How do you plan on working that one?" He questioned. Mia smiled softly.

"Fire escape leads into my bedroom... Always useful for sneaking out, or sneaking people in." She replied. Christian gave her a look.

"_Always_?" He asked. "Sounds like you've done a lot of sneaking people in. Should I be jealous?" Mia laughed and shook her head.

"No, I hardly ever sneak people in... It's usually just Andy who uses it." She replied.

"I see," he said. Mia smiled and slid her arms around his neck, pulling him closer and placing a kiss on his lips.

"So, you just drop me off a block away from my place again, wait about……..hmm….five minutes, then drive to the back of the building," she stated.

"Mmmm... Sounds good to me." He replied against her lips.

"Phone," she muttered against his. Christian pulled back a bit.

"What?" He asked. Mia giggled a bit and pointed to where she tossed her cell phone.

"As much as I don't want to deal with Andy right now, it doesn't really mean I just want to leave my phone here," she said. Christian grinned.

"I've got it." He replied as he walked over and grabbed her phone. He picked it up and brought it back over to her, picking up her bag which had slid to the ground after he pulled her into the hug as he made his way back to her.

"Thanks," she said, taking the bag and phone from him and dropping the phone into the bag.

"I still need to put it down there, you know," he teased, pointing to the compartment under the bike's seat as she slipped the bag onto her shoulder. Mia blinked.

"Oh, right, yeah, duh," she said, rolling her eyes as she slid off the bike. Christian grinned as he quickly lifted the seat up and tossed it in.

"Hmm, so I guess I kissed you senseless, then?" He teased, turning too look at her. Mia blushed.

"I guess so." She replied softly. Christian looked at her for a moment. He was half expecting her to fire back with a snarky reply. Mia climbed on behind him as he handed her the helmet over his shoulder. She quickly pulled the helmet on over her head and slipped her arms around Christian's midsection. Christian flipped the kickstand up and revved the bike before pulling away from the lake and onto the main road. Mia tightened her grip around his midsection and snuggled closer to him as they headed towards her house. They soon reached the corner he had dropped her off at earlier that day. Christian came to a stop and let her climb off the bike. She slid the helmet off and stood beside him for a moment, giving him a quick kiss before grinning and putting the helmet on his head. "See you in a few," she said. Christian grinned as he watched her walk away. He sighed, leaning forward a bit on his bike, resting against the handlebars, as he watched her disappear into the dinner and waited for the five minutes he needed to wait for to pass. The minutes dragged on as he continued to wait. He glanced down at his watch and noticed that the five minutes had elapsed. He did has he was instructed and pulled his bike around the back and removed his helmet. He placed it on the handle and walked over to where a set of metal stairs were. He gripped the banister of the stairs and slowly climbed up until he reached the top; a wide terrace outside a bedroom window which he could only figure was Mia's. He waited a few moments before the bedroom window opened and Mia poked her head out. She grinned and motioned for him to come inside. Christian smiled and approached the window as Mia backed away to give him room to enter. He slowly climbed in.

"That's a nice little balcony you've got out there," he said once he was in. Mia shrugged.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool. In the summer Andy and I usually bring some of those folding lounge chairs out there and just sit and hang out late at night. Of course, given current developments with gothic chick showing up we haven't had time to revive the tradition this year yet." Christian nodded.

"Understandable." He replied as he looked around Mia's room. His eyes landed on a medium sized electric keyboard set up beside her desk. "You play?" He asked.

"Huh?" She asked, looking over to what he was looking at. "Oh, that, yeah," she said, shrugging. "Sometimes," she said nonchalantly.

"Sometimes?" He echoed. Mia glanced at him.

"I thought we were here to do _other_ things, not discuss my piano playing abilities." She commented coyly. Christian looked at her and grinned.

"What? I can't take an interest in your interests?" He asked. Mia gave him a sly smile and closed the distance between them.

"Well, I'm not interested in my music at this very moment," she informed.

"Oh? And why not?" He replied, grinning as she walked towards him.

"I think I have something else to be interested in." Christian chuckled as she finally reached him.

"And what ever could that be?" He asked with feigned innocence, his hands slipping to her waist. Mia shrugged.

"Someone tall, dark and handsome?" She replied as she slipped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. Christian smirked against her lips.

"So, you think I'm handsome, eh?" He asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry; did you think I meant you?" She teased.

"Well, I hope you weren't referring to yourself...You're too gorgeous to be handsome." He joked. Mia smiled.

"You think I'm gorgeous?" She asked. Christian rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on, you know you are," he said. Mia giggled.

"It's still nice to hear." She replied as she kissed him again. Christian held her closer to him as he returned the kiss, the two slowly backing their way towards her bed. Mia's legs touched the back of the bed and she pulled away from the kiss to crawl onto the bed. She smiled up at him as he stood at the foot of the bed, watching her intently. She gave a leisurely sigh as her hands went to her sweatshirt and she pulled the zipper down enticingly. She pulled it off completely once the zipper was down and tossed it away from the bed. Christian stared at her, now only in her white bathing suit top. Admittedly, the article of clothing much resembled a standard tank top and wasn't that sensational, but for some reason, now, standing in her bedroom and her taking off her sweatshirt, it was as good as sexy lingerie in his eyes. He licked his lips unconsciously and stepped closer to the bed before lowering his lips to hers. He towered over her for a moment, his hands going to the back of her neck as they kissed. Mia, though enjoying the kiss, was beginning to find craning her neck up to him to be uncomfortable and so took matters into her own hands by grabbing the front of his shirt and giving a sharp tug as she leaned back on the bed, which was enough to make him tumble down on top of her. Christian groaned as he crashed down on top of her. Mia grinned as she tangled one of her hands in his hair again. "Problem?" She teased against his lips before pointedly grinding her hips against his.

"You're trouble," he muttered between kisses.

"Mmmhmm." She murmured against his lips. "But something tells me you can handle trouble pretty well," she said. Christian's hands glided to her hips before slipping underneath her. Mia gasped gently as she felt his hands go to her backside and push her closer to him, making their hips grind even deeper into one another.

"Trouble is, as trouble does." He whispered huskily. His mouth slipped off of hers as it went down to her neck, biting and kissing at the delicate skin. Mia moaned softly as he nipped at her neck. Her hands slipped from his hair and went to his shoulders, her fingers curling as she gripped the top of his undershirt in her hands. Christian's hands slowly traveled up her back, stroking her skin softly. Mia threw her head back against her pillow, giving him more access to her neck as her hands toyed with the straps of his undershirt, as if contemplating the idea of ripping it off of him. She tugged at it lightly, causing Christian to remove his lips from her neck and look at her.

"Problem?" He questioned. Mia looked at him.

"You're wearing far too many clothes." She replied. Christian smirked.

"I'm wearing the exact same amount of clothing you are," he chuckled. Mia narrowed her eyes at him before putting her hands against his shoulders and, along with the help of a nudge from her hip, used that leverage to push him off of her onto his back before climbing on top of him, sitting up as she straddled his waist.

"Well, I say it's far too many," she stated in an authoritative tone. Christian grinned.

"Whatever you say." He replied as he pulled his shirt off and tossed it to where Mia's sweatshirt lay forgotten. Mia gently ran a hand down his chest, feeling every taunt muscle under her fingers. "I would say the same thing to you," Christian said, though his voice sounded a bit distracted as his eyes watched her traveling hand, "but that wouldn't make me much of a gentleman, would it?"

"Probably not... But if you pay your cards right, then maybe." She replied, giving him a wink. Christian's eyes widened slightly.

"Seriously?" He asked. Mia chuckled and leaned forward to kiss him.

"Weren't you the one saying we should slow down before?" She teased before giving his lower lip a playful bite.

"Uh, I don't remember." He replied as his hands rested against her hips. Mia smiled and kissed him again.

"When I said maybe if you play your cards right, I didn't mean right this moment," she giggled, traces of modesty lacing her voice.

"I kind of figured that." He replied as he ran his thumb over her exposed skin.

"Uh huh, sure," Mia said, unconvinced. Christian grinned.

"Fine, don't believe me." He mock pouted. Mia smiled before leaning down and kissing him. Christian's hands moved up her back, one snaking around her shoulders as the other continued up to her hair where it quickly found the thin hair tie keeping her high pony tail in place. With a gentle tug, he pulled the hair tie out, letting her hair fall down her back before letting the tie drop to the bed and running his hand through her hair. Mia slowly moved on top of him, resuming the hip grinding only now, due to her current position, it affected Christian's already stiffening loins at a deeper level. He groaned, his hand reflexively tightening in her hair around a handful of hair as his short nails lightly scratched her scalp. Mia gave a small whine at his nails scrapping her scalp and the grip he had on her hair but it didn't bother her enough to pull away or stop as her hips simply grinded harder into him. Christian in turn shifted his own hips beneath hers, grinding into her with equal force. Mia gasped, pulling her lips away from his as she threw her head back. Christian, not one to pass up such an invitation, quickly attacked her exposed neck with his seeking lips. Mia let out a soft moan as Christian began kissing her neck again. Christian used the hold he hand on her hair to pull her neck closer, tasting as much of her as he could. One of Mia's hands slid down between them, her fingers finding his scar again and idly stroking over the ragged surface.

"Oh my god," Mia gasped out as Christian gave a hard, but exhilarating, nip at her neck. Christian chuckled against her skin.

"Like that?" He questioned.

"Mm," was the only response Mia could muster. Christian repeated the same action, gaining the same response from Mia. Mia grinned as she slowly slid the tips of her fingers below the waistband of his shorts. She traced the parts of the scar that dipped lower to his hip bone. Christian gave a sharp gasp as his hips jerked upwards, thrusting into her.

"Like that?" She asked, copying his tone.

"Mmmm." He replied. Mia giggled gently.

"Really?" She asked, her fingers inching lower teasingly.

"Mia," Christian moaned.

"Hmm?" Mia asked innocently, her finger inching down a bit more before moving back up until her hand slipped back out his waistband. Christian growled against her neck and quickly turned them over so she was once again beneath him. Once he was back on top of her, Christian quickly pressed his lips against Mia's.

"That wasn't very nice," he muttered lowly against her lips.

"Playing nice is overrated." She replied. Christian's lips returned to her neck, nipping at her neck like had been before. Mia moaned, her hips moving against his again as her legs went over his moving hips, trapping him against her, though it was highly unlikely that Christian would be foolish enough to move away from her or do anything that would require her to fasten herself to him. Mia sighed as he bit at her neck again and again, torturing her. Mia groaned and went to try to return to her form of torturing him, but their current position made it impossible to get her hand back under his waistband. "No fair," she whined. Christian chuckled against her neck.

"Playing fair is just as overrated as playing nice," he teased.

"Meanie." She replied. Christian responded by simply nipping at her neck. Mia groaned and tightened her legs around him as her hips moved against his.

"Is someone getting frustrated?" He asked in a husky teasing tone, his breath hitting her neck.

"Like you wouldn't believe." She growled back. Christian grinned as one of his hands moved from their place on her back, slipping over her side as his fingers came close to brushing past her breast. "Oh my god," Mia gasped.

"Like that?" He questioned. Mia gave a nod, her mouth too busy spouting out a soft moan to say any actual words. Christian grinned and went back to nipping at her neck, his fingers inching closer to her breast. Mia closed her eyes, the stimulation from both of his actions making her head swim and her heart flutter. Her hands moved around to his back, her nails scratching up and down his spine. Christian took this as an invitation to be daring and finally let his fingers come closer to her breast. The tips gently slid along the underside as his hand rested at the top of her ribcage. Mia let out a slight moan as she rolled her hips into his.

"What happened to wanting to be gentlemanly?" Mia gasped out, a slight teasing tone to her voice.

"Overrated." He replied as he kissed Mia behind the ear.

"Mmm," Mia agreed, nodding gently. "I suppose you're right."

"Of course I am." He replied.

"Yeah," Mia quipped, "I guess it was bound to happen at least once in your life," she teased. Christian chuckled against Mia's neck.

"I guess so." He replied huskily. Mia's hands traveled up his back and past his shoulders before her fingers tangled in his hair again, urging him to continue his ministrations on her neck. Christian chuckled against her skin and quickly obliged, the hand by her breast finally moving up, his thumb flicking against her nipple. Mia gasped, withering beneath him as the action was repeated. She whimpered gently, the nimble thumb and their colliding hips pushing her further and further over the edge. Christian tilted his head against her neck a bit to catch a peek of her face as he continued kissing and biting at her neck. Her eyes were squeezed shut. He grinned against her skin when her lips parted, soft Spanish murmurs coming out of her mouth.

"What was that?" Christian asked as Mia whispered something in Spanish that had been mixed with a moan. "I don't speak Spanish that well." Mia groaned as he once again flicked his thumb against her, cursing him for asking a question, and expecting her to have coherent thoughts, while he kept touching her like that.

"You can get translations later," she growled. Christian chuckled a bit at her distress.

"Fine by me." He replied as he lowered his lips to hers. Mia firmly took hold of his head and kissed him hungrily the second his lips touched hers. Christian smiled.

"Someone's eager," he said, placing a kiss on her chin.

"No more talking," Mia demanded through short pants, forcing his lips back to hers.

"Whatever you say." Christian replied. Mia gave his lip a firm bite. "Ow," he muttered, giving her a surprised look.

"I believe I said no more talking," she stated. Christian grinned.

"Well, aren't we a little bossy?" He teased. Mia glared at him.

"You say one more word and you'll regret it, buddy," she warned.

"Oh really? Prove it." He replied. Mia narrowed her eyes and quickly slammed her hip into his, knocking him over as she resumed her previous position on top of him. Christian peered up at her. "Hmm, nope, not regretting it yet," he smirked.

"Oh?" She replied as she ran her hands over his chest before dropping her head to his neck and began kissing him. Christian smiled.

"Uh huh," he said. "I mean, if this is your definition of punishment, I think I'm just going to have to become a blabber mouth," he said. Mia slowly removed her lips from Christian's neck and began to kiss her way down to his shoulders and chest. Christian watched her with an amused expression as she slid down his body, her lips kissing a trail down from his chest to his abs. As she went on, the kisses were coupled with quick nips at his skin, which had him pleasantly surprised. Her mouth then went to his scar. She paused, looking at it for a moment before lightly brushing her lips along it. Christian shut his eyes, sighing as she continued tenderly touching his scar with her lips, no longer nipping at his skin. One of Christian's hands traveled down towards her as he ran his fingers through her hair. Mia grinned against his skin before sliding further down his body, her hands lightly pulling at the hem of his shorts, lowering them an inch or two before resuming her lip ministrations at the lower sections of the scar. Christian's eyes snapped open as she lowered the shorts down a bit more, exposing his hip bones, before teasing the bottom of the scar with her tongue. "Mia," Christian moaned. Mia simply continued her actions as her fingers idly glided along his legs, staying close to the hem. Christian watched her, waiting with bated breath to see if she was going to continue her descent. He gulped when he felt her hands take the hem of his shorts gain and gently tug down another inch or two before stopping. Christian squeezed his eyes shut feeling a little frustrated at this teasing game. Mia could feel his frustration, literally, and simply grinned.

"Something wrong?" She asked. Christian shook his head. "You sure?"

"Positive," Christian replied. Mia nodded, her hands going to the hem of his shorts again. "Oh god," he whispered. He let out a breath, waiting for the gentle tug but it never came. Instead, Mia simply sighed and slid off of him before crawling up the bed and lounging nonchalantly against her headboard. Christian's eyes snapped open and he quickly turned his head to look at her. "Wha…?" He asked, confused. Mia shrugged.

"Meh, got bored," she said, a small grin playing on her lips. Christian's eyes widened. "Told ya you'd regret it," she said, her grin slowly widening. Christian stared at her with an incredulous look for a moment before shaking his head, a chuckle coming to his lips.

"Yes, yes you did," he said. He shook his head again. "Though you're not exactly doing a great job of dispelling a certain rumor about a certain tease like manner," he muttered. He paused, quickly looking over at Mia whose grin had disappeared and was staring at him with a hard look. "Oh shit, no, sorry, I….." He quickly shook his head, trying his best to backpedal his previous statement. "No, I was just joking…….I shouldn't have said it……Don't be mad," he quickly said. Mia stared at him for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Fuck," Christian muttered, cursing himself for messing this up. Mia's expression then changed to an amused look as she chuckled, shaking her head a bit.

"You're so cute when you're a panicked babbling mess," she said, running a finger along his jaw line. Christian looked at her, letting out a long breath.

"You're not mad?" He asked. Mia shifted closer to him before placing a small kiss at the corner of his mouth.

"No," she said. "I mean, I _was _teasing you just now," she grinned for a moment before sitting up and pointing a finger at him. "But that doesn't mean there's any truth to the rumor Josh spread," she stated firmly.

"I know." He replied quietly. Mia nodded and put her hand down.

"Alright then," she said.

"That day in the quad, when I said it….." He shrugged, "was just trying to be an asshole I guess," he said. Mia gave him an 'oh really' look.

"Ya don't say," she replied. "Of course, that begs the question of why you were trying to be an asshole to the person who supposedly is everything you wanted……Unless those weren't your exact feelings at the time," she said. Christian looked at her.

"They were," he admitted. Mia blinked, a little surprised.

"Oh," she said.

"As to the why, it's like I said……you were everything I wanted and everything I couldn't have," he explained. "So, I just…." He paused, letting his voice trail off.

"Acted like a dick towards me to spite your own feelings?" She offered. Christian thought for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah." He replied honestly. Mia nodded a bit before settling in the bed beside him, slightly curling against him, causing Christian to reflexively put his arm around her.

"Well, guess the 'can't have' notion's been contradicted, hmm?" She said, a small giggle in her voice. Christian grinned.

"Something like that." He replied. He held her a little closer, causing her to lift her head and place it on his chest. Christian placed a small kiss on the crown of her head gently. Mia placed her hand on his stomach before bringing it over to his scar, tracing small circles over it as she lay in his arms. "You sure that's a wise choice?" He whispered into her hair with a small chuckle. "I haven't exactly had a chance to readjust my shorts from before." Mia just grinned as her hand shifted a little lower.

"Oh? I hadn't noticed." She replied.

"Mia," he said with a warning tone.

"Problem?" She asked sweetly as her hand inched lower still.

"You're evil," he muttered. Mia giggled as her hand continued its descent. He sighed, waiting for her to either coyly move her hand back up or pull it away completely. He was definitely surprised when he felt her fingertips inching into his waistband. Mia grinned devilishly as her hand dropped a little lower. "Don't play around," he said in a soft gasp.

"Who said I'm playing around this time?" She questioned.

"I hope you're not." He replied, the huskiness returning to his tone. Mia simply smiled as she boldly slid the rest of her hand down his shorts. Christian moaned, shifting a bit on the bed as he could feel the heat from her impending touch hitting his thighs. She placed her hand on his thigh before dipping between his legs and coming in contact with his stiff appendage.

"Oh," Mia muttered, slightly surprised by its rigid state.

"Yeah." Christian grunted as his eyes fluttered. Mia tilted her head up on his chest, drawing closer to him before catching his lips in a gentle kiss before her fingers closed around him. Christian gasped against her mouth, his hips buckling against her. Mia's lips pulled into a smile.

"Like that?" She questioned.

"What do you think?" Christian replied huskily, grunting as her hand moved along the shaft. "God," he moaned, biting his lip.

"I'll take that as a yes." She replied as she kissed the corner of his mouth while her hand pulled against him. Christian let out a shaky breath as his hand tightly gripped her side, almost afraid that if left to her own devices, she'd disappear and leave him. Mia smiled and gently sucked his bottom lip into a soft kiss. "I'm not going anywhere," she informed. Christian took comfort in her words and kissed her back. Mia smiled and slowly picked up the speed of her actions. Christian gasped, a loud moan escaping his lips. "Shh!" Mia quickly said, covering his mouth with her free hand. "You know what you said about my brothers not liking you? Well how do you think they'll feel about you if they come to investigate the noise coming from baby sis's bedroom and find you here with my hand down your pants?" She hissed. Christian chuckled against her hand before she pulled it away from his mouth.

"They probably wouldn't like that at all." He replied.

"Not unless you'd interpret them tossing you off the balcony as them extending their friendship to you," she muttered.

"That'd be an interesting way to make friends." He replied quietly. Mia just rolled her eyes and stroked Christian's member again. "Oh man," he groaned.

"Do I need to gag you?" She asked. Christian's only reply was a soft grunt.

"Mia…" He whispered, squeezing his eyes shut, his body tensing against her as the stroking began to push him over his peak.

"Hmmm?" She questioned sweetly as she dragged the tips of her nails softly over his member. Christian bit down on his lip to keep from making any loud noises, per her request, at the feel of her nails scraping the sensitive skin. Mia grinned watching his reaction. She pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth before resuming the stroking motions. Christian withered beneath her, needing release but holding himself back for reasons he himself couldn't even understand. Maybe he feared that if he let himself go, he'd only find out this and every other moment they'd shared throughout the day was all part of a long intricate dream and he'd awake alone on his worn futon. Maybe he feared that if he let himself go, she'd somehow find offense to it. All the maybes and reasoning ran through his spinning head as her touch continued and he kept himself in the moment, afraid to let it end. "What's wrong?" Mia asked, seeing the distressed look on his face. Her hand stilled. "Did I do something wrong?" Christian quickly shook his head.

"No, god, keep going, please," he gasped out. Mia grinned.

"If you say so." She replied as her hand went back to work. Christian sighed and lowered his head to her shoulder, panting against her skin. Mia turned her head and placed a gentle kiss at the side of his head. Christian's arms wrapped around her waist as her pace sped up even more and he bit down on her shoulder to keep from crying out.

"Sorry," he muttered, afraid he'd hurt her.

"It's okay." She reassured him. Christian panted as he soon found it impossible to hold himself back any more. His urges and needs were winning out. He felt his body shudder as he buried his face into Mia's neck as his release occurred. He closed his eyes, riding the waves of pleasure until they ceased and left him slumped against Mia's bed like a marionette whose strings had been cut. He placed a kiss against the bite mark he left on her shoulder as he fought to catch his breath. Mia smiled and slowly pulled her hand out from his shorts.

"Jesus," he breathed out. Mia grinned.

"That good, huh?" She teased, giggling gently.

"Amazing." He replied.

"Aw, shucks," Mia chuckled. Christian simply nuzzled his head against her neck, breathing deeply. Mia simply grinned. It wasn't as if she'd never done that before, she still had the memory of her and Andy's time together in that very room two years ago, but this was different. She could feel Christian's responses flowing from deep inside of him, reacting to the things she did before she even did much of anything. He was reacting to **her**. Andy, though he and Mia shared a deep connection given their long enduring friendship, was nothing like that. His reactions were purely based on the stimulation, not to her. Not that she could've blamed him then or now, since it was more that they let their mutual curiosity of what things would feel like lead them to a place their hearts really weren't in, and not just because of Andy's at that point yet to be discovered feelings for the same sex. As much as Mia had loved Andy for as long as she could remember, it had always been a friendly, even bordering on familial, love. But even still, he wasn't her brother so of course she had entertained the idea of doing things with him, which led to their night together. The night that now, two years later, they could privately laugh and tease one another about. But this was different. Christian wasn't Andy... And Mia liked that.

Most of her life had been spent, not necessarily sheltered, but certainly detached from males who weren't Andy or members of her family. Sure, Mia had experienced kisses, thanks to several spin the bottle or truth or dare games at summer camp in her early teen years, and had had a first date thanks to her parents setting her up with the son of a family friend as her escort for her Quinceañera but aside from that she found little use for the world of dating in her younger years. The only reason she ended up beginning to feel like she was missing out and ventured into dating Josh at the start of the school year was seeing Andy and his college hunk throughout that previous summer. If Andy could find someone to kiss and hold hands with, why couldn't she? Of course, after that disaster she resolved herself to just sticking to her original plan of steering clear of dating and sticking to Andy.

But now there was Christian. She couldn't deny that she had noticed him around school before that day in the quad; everyone knew who Christian was due to his sour attitude. As much as she had found him to be a jerk, she couldn't help find him a bit attractive, a secret she kept buried within herself. He was nothing like Andy, or her brothers, or her previous excursions into male companionships, and it was thrilling. He somehow managed to scare her and comfort her at the same time. He overpowered her and submitted to her in the same breath. It was strange and exciting.

"You're incredible," Christian murmured against her shoulder once his breathing returned to normal, tearing Mia from her thoughts. Mia blushed furiously at the compliment.

"Thanks." She replied softly. Christian placed another kiss to her shoulder, letting his lips linger on her skin for a long moment before concluding the kiss. Mia smiled. "You seem to be a bit obsessed with that shoulder," she teased. Christian smiled and lifted his head before moving to her other shoulder, placing a long kiss on it as well.

"There, now this one can't feel jealous or anything," he said. Mia laughed.

"You're so weird," she said.

"Sometimes." He replied as he pressed his lips against her softly. "Is weird good?" He asked. Mia tilted her head as if contemplating that question.

"I suppose," she smiled. Christian grinned.

"Good." He replied. Mia returned the grin and settled comfortably beside him. "So," Christian asked after a moment. "I've gotta ask, you still think you've had better?" He asked, grinning a bit. Mia tilted her head to look at him.

"Had better what?" She asked.

"Remember, back at the lake, you said you've had better kisses. Well, does that still apply?" He asked. Mia quirked an eyebrow at him.

"And what if I said it did?" She asked.

"Then maybe I'd just have to start kissing you senseless again." He replied. Mia smirked.

"Well, now how am I supposed to answer then? I mean, if it's true that I have had better, I wouldn't want you to go back to kissing me, so I'd have to lie and say I haven't had better. But, if in fact I haven't had better, wouldn't I lie just be kissed senseless again?" She asked. "So, basically, whatever answer I give how would you know whether or not it's the honest one?" Christian blinked.

"Say what now?" He questioned. Mia laughed and sat up, looking down at him.

"Well, you said that if I still think I've had better, you'd kiss me senseless again, right?" She asked, Christian nodded. "So, that implies that if I say I haven't had better, you won't kiss me senseless again. Now, if I've in fact had better, I'd say whatever it takes to keep you from kissing me again. But if I haven't had better, I'd say whatever it takes to be kissed again. Either way I'd be lying. So, how ever will you know what I honestly think?" Christian shrugged.

"I could always just hope for the best and maybe if I'm not the best you've had, you'll tell me, and then I can improve." He replied giving her a wink.

"But if you're not the best, maybe I'll just want to never kiss you again," she teased. Christian frowned, sitting up.

"I don't like this game anymore," he grumbled. "First of all it's requiring more thinking than I can handle after….what you did not too long ago….and it's just getting cruel." Mia giggled gently, thinking he was still playing along with her teasing.

"Okay, in that case I guess I'd have to say that yes, I've had better," she said, shifting closer to him in anticipation to the promised sense removing kisses. Christian looked away, his frown deepening.

"Alright then," he said. "Guess I should go," he muttered, swinging his legs to the side of her bed and standing up to retrieve his shirt from the floor.

"Huh?" Mia questioned as he snatched his shirt and pulled it over his head. Christian snorted.

"Yeah, Mia, you might possibly be one of the hottest females in the world, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stick around after that," he muttered, crossing over to her window.

"I was joking!" She replied as she climbed off the bed and stepped in front of him. She took hold of his arm, keeping him from climbing out her window. "Like I said, saying whatever it takes to get you to kiss me senseless again," she reminded, giving him a careful smile hoping it would help get her message across. Christian looked at her, blinking as her words sunk in.

"Oh," he replied lamely. He sighed. "I told you I wasn't playing anymore," he muttered. Mia sighed.

"Sorry…I thought that was you still playing along," she replied honestly. She shook her head. "I blame Andy, being around him all these years has totally warped my 'serious/not serious' judgment calls." Mia bit her lip. "Do you still want to leave?" She asked. Christian shook his head, stepping away from the window and closer to her. Mia smiled. "Good." Christian grinned down at her. Mia blinked. "What?" She asked. Christian simply put his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her to the wall, until they were in a position similar to the one they had been in his apartment. Mia raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "And what's this now?" She asked. Christian grinned and drew closer to her, pressing his body against her and trapping her between his body and the wall.

"I believe I'm about to go back to kissing you senseless," he replied. Mia smirked.

"By reenacting this little scene?" She asked. Christian chuckled and leaned in, kissing her neck.

"Well, when this 'little scene' was going on before, kissing you senseless was a thought I had had in mind," he stated. Mia smiled and shook her head.

"You're such a nut," she giggled. Christian simply grinned against her neck before giving one gentle bite to the skin and then moving his lips to her lips. Mia wrapped her arms around his neck as she kissed him back. Christian placed his hands on the wall at either side of her, bracing himself against it as Mia's fingers ran through his hair. The two stayed that way kissing for some time before Christian smirked against her lips, his hands leaving the wall. Mia was too distracted by their kiss to notice at first, but pulled back a bit when she felt him pop open the button of her cutoff shorts. "What are you doing?" She said in a shaky breath. Christian looked at her.

"Was thinking of returning your little favor," he grinned a bit before giving her a careful look. "Unless you'd rather I didn't…" He said. Mia blinked as she caught on to what he was intending. A bright red blush came to her cheeks. This was definitely new. Though she had first ventured into nimble handed actions with Andy, the experience had been one sided. She had curiously touched Andy, getting a reaction out of him and then the two just had sex. She had never experienced what Christian was intending to do.

"I've...um..." She trailed off.

"What?" Christian asked softly. Mia bit her lip.

"That's….um….I've never……"

"Oh," Christian said, catching what she meant.

"Yeah..." She replied trailing off. Christian nodded and re-buttoned her shorts. Mia blinked. "I didn't mean I didn't want to," she blurted out. She scrunched her face as her blush intensified.

"Oh?" Christian questioned, eyes sparkling a little bit. Mia's face was redder than a tomato from a mixture of embarrassment and nervous anticipation.

"I…..um….well…." She mumbled, her face only getting redder as she became flustered and her words tripped over themselves. Christian smiled softly as he pressed his lips to hers.

"Don't worry." He whispered as he pulled away.

"Have you done that before?" She asked before she could stop herself. She cringed, chastising herself a bit. It was a little unfair to ask such a question if he'd done her the courtesy of leaving such a question unasked when she touched him. "Never mind, don't answer that," she muttered quickly.

"Alright, I won't," he replied as he popped the top button of her shorts open again. Mia blinked.

"But…..um…..have you?" She asked. She sighed. "No, no, I'm sorry…….it's none of my business."

"It isn't?" He asked, idly toying with one of the flaps of her now open jean shorts.

"I'm not sure." She replied. Christian pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose.

"I know what I'm doing Mia." He reassured her softly.

"Oh," she muttered. "Um….okay…..great….I guess?" She stammered, giving a nervous chuckle. "At least one of us does," she muttered. Christian smiled and placed a soft sweet kiss on her cheek.

"Just relax," he whispered against her skin as he pushed her shorts down slightly. Mia nodded.

"Okay," she said. Christian dragged his fingers over her exposed skin for a moment before dipping his hand down the front of her shorts. Mia tightened her hold on him as she felt his fingers skim over the cotton material of her bathing suit bottom, dipping between her legs. Mia bit her lip, a shiver running through her as she eagerly waited to see what he'd do next. Christian leaned forward and nipped at her neck again before placing a soft kiss on her skin.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Mia quickly nodded.

"Uh huh," she said.

"Alright," he said. He placed his hand on her thigh before inching his thumb inside the leg hole of the bathing suit. Seconds later, he nudged the material covering her aside with his thumb. "You ready?" He questioned. Mia just nodded in reply. She couldn't understand why she felt so nervous. It wasn't as if she was totally inexperienced. She had had sex before, which was considered a further step than what Christian was about to do. But something about this felt so intimate and she couldn't help feel nervous. "Okay," Christian whispered to her before slipping his palm into the bathing suit, touching her. Mia gasped. Christian grinned against her neck as his hand explored her, gently caressing her. Mia closed her eyes, her head leaning back against the wall as she sank into the feelings his touch was creating.

"Mmm," she let out in a low moan.

"How does that feel?" He whispered against her throat, the huskiness present in his tone once again. Mia gasped as his thumb circled the little bundle of nerves.

"Oh," she gasped sharply, "good, really…" her voice was cut off by a soft moan, "really good," she sighed. Christian grinned.

"Perfect." He replied as flicked his thumb inside her. Mia gave a small pleasured cry, shuddering against him. Christian moved his lips up to her ear.

"Shh," he whispered. "I really don't think this image would do much in making your brothers like me if they came to see what was wrong with you," he chuckled before lightly nibbling on her earlobe as his hand continued to caress her.

"Can't," Mia panted out, "help it." Christian smiled and lifted his head to catch her lips in a kiss. Mia let out a soft moan as Christian parted her lips with his tongue. Christian gently probed her mouth with his tongue as his fingers slid in and out of her, creating small shrieks to come from her mouth, only to be muffled by his. After a short while, Christian pulled his hand away. Mia's eyes widened at the loss of his touch. "What are you doing?" She murmured, dazed and confused as to why he had stopped. She felt his hand slide out from her bathing suit before both hands traveled down to her thighs, gripping them gently as he hoisted her up off her feet, which made her tighten her hold around his neck, her legs securing themselves around his waist for added security that she wouldn't fall on her backside.

"Just thought you might be more comfortable on your bed," he whispered against her lips.

"Hmm," she replied, "really couldn't care either way," she muttered, "just finish what you started," she ordered. Christian chuckled.

"Wouldn't dream of stopping now," he replied before pulling her off the wall and carrying her over to the bed. Mia grinned.

"Good." She replied. Christian smiled and kissed her lips as the two toppled down onto her bed, him landing on top of her. Christian smiled and shifted above her, moving into the position that best enabled him to continue his work. He slid off of her, lying beside her as his hand returned to her bathing suit bottom. Mia moaned softly as Christian's fingers resumed their former position inside her. "Good," she said in a quiet sigh, satisfied he was continuing his ministrations. Christian smiled and resumed sliding in and out of her as he maneuvered his thumb back to the little bundle of nerve begging for attention. He quickly covered her mouth with his in a kiss to prevent any vocal reactions this might caused, which was a wise action on his part as a loud moan erupted into his mouth, the double sensation he was causing catching her by surprise. Christian grinned as an idea struck him and his free hand slid under her bathing suit top, slowly gliding up her ribcage. "You're horrible," Mia gasped against his lip, having a good idea where his hand was heading.

"Have to do what you have to do." He replied. His hand came to a stop at her breast. He gently cupped it and let his thumb mimic the actions of his other thumb.

"Oh," Mia gasped, burying her head against his neck. "Ohmigod," she panted as his hands became a triple threat to her senses. "Oh shit, _ay dios mio," _she rambled over and over again as Christian continued his actions. She withered and shifted beneath him, her legs tightening around him out of reflex. Christian smiled as he felt her body becoming taut, her toes curling against his leg.

"Close?" He whispered in her ear. Mia simply gave an incoherent whimper in reply. Christian took that as an affirmative response and increased the flicking and caressing of his thumbs. Mia gave a tiny squeak against his neck.

"Oh," she panted against his skin. Mia squeezed her eyes shut, her whole body tensing as she moved against him. Within seconds she felt it, the explosion within herself. She gave a soft grunt as her body shuddered and shook underneath him. "OhgodOhgodOhgodOhmygod," she whispered. Once the explosion died down, she gave one last shudder before her muscles became weak and she sank back on the bed, her shaky legs slipping releasing their hold on him as her arms fell away from his neck and slipped to his shoulders. "Wow," she breathed. Christian chuckled.

"Well, thank you," he replied, smirking a bit.

"Uh huh." She replied, still trying to catch her breath. "You really weren't kidding about knowing what you're doing," she muttered. Christian chuckled as he slipped his hands from her as he shifted onto his back as Mia curled next to him, placing her head on his chest as her hand went under the hem of his shirt and rested on his scar.

"Glad you enjoyed yourself," he chuckled. Mia giggled.

"Angie?" Said a voice as a knock on her door was heard. Mia gasped as both she and Christian sat up. Mia's hands instantly flew to cover his mouth in case he said or did anything to indicate his presence.

"Uh, dad, don't come in……um……I'm changing!" Mia called back as she heard her doorknob beginning to turn as the door slightly parted.

"Oh, sorry," her dad said, quickly pulling the door shut again. "When you're done, come downstairs for dinner."

"Uh, that's okay, still pretty full from mom's beach snacks," she replied, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Alright then," came her father's reply. Mia listened closely to hear his retreating footsteps. After a minute or two she set out a relieved breath, lowering her hands from Christian's mouth down to his chest. "That was close," she muttered.

"Angie?" Christian asked. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Lucy and I are close in age," she explained. Christian shrugged, as if to say 'yeah, so?', their year difference was a commonly known thing. "Well, when we were little, mom just loved to dress us up like twins, and dad would make it seem like we were some match set--Annie and Angie." Christian still gave her a confused look. Mia rolled her eyes again. "As in Ana-Lucia and Miangela," she explained.

"Oh," Christian said. "Cute," he said with a smile. Mia rolled her eyes yet again.

"More like annoying. It took us like a year to get people to stop calling us by separate nicknames and stop referring to us as just Annie-and-Angie. Oh and if Andy or Tony were ever around us, you couldn't stop the triple A jokes," she groaned. "Anyway, dad sometimes slips into old habits," she concluded with a shrug. Christian grinned.

"Still cute." He replied. "You could be like Angelina Jolie... Her nickname was Angie." He teased. Mia gave a small shove.

"I'm fine with Mia, thanks," she said. Christian smirked as his arms came around her.

"You know, I think I'm fine with Mia too," he said. "Or, my angel," he grinned.

"Ugh, you are SO cheesy!" She replied. Christian laughed.

"So, let me get this straight—I'm weird, a nut, _and _cheesy?" He asked. He smiled. "Oh, wait, I almost forgot tall, dark and handsome." Mia glared at him.

"Don't forget annoying and frustrating," she said. Christian chuckled.

"Well, as long as I'm frustrating you, I don't mind being frustrating," he replied, placing a small kiss on her nose.

"You wouldn't." She replied.


	13. Chapter 13

Christian smiled and pulled her closer so she was now on his lap.

"Yup," he said, "I think I could be very content keeping you frustrated," he grinned as one of his hands traveled down to her shorts. Mia sighed, her eyes drifting shut as she bit her lip.

"Behave," she whispered, pretty sure she couldn't handle another round of explosions just yet.

"Aww, did I wear you out?" Christian questioned teasingly. His hand slipped past the flaps of her unbuttoned shorts.

"No," came her stubborn reply. Christian smirked.

"Really?" He asked, his hands skimming over her bathing suit bottom again. Mia shivered against him. "Are you sure?" He asked. Mia bit her lip. Part of her wanted it, but part of her knew that she really shouldn't.

"Chris, don't," she said after a moment. "Seriously."

"Alright." He replied softly as he removed his hand. Mia sighed.

"I think we need a breather," she murmured. Christian grinned.

"So you admit that I did wear you out," he said.

"Something like that." She replied. Christian smiled and kissed the side of her neck.

"Alright then," he said.

"Thanks." She replied as she leaned her head against his. She sighed. "I think it's safe to say I've definitely not have better than this," she muttered to herself. Christian chuckled.

"Good to know," he replied. Mia was quiet for a moment.

"Does that go both ways?" She asked suddenly. Christian looked at her.

"What?" He asked. Mia lifted her head, shaking it a bit.

"Nothing, never mind," she muttered.

"Mia, tell me." He prodded gently. Mia made a face, cursing herself and wishing she'd kept quiet.

"It's nothing, I just mean…….well, you said you knew what you were doing………..and," she chuckled a bit, "you weren't lying……..so obviously you've done stuff before…..So……" She shrugged. "It's nothing, I'm being stupid, forget it," she muttered.

"You're not being stupid." He replied as he placed a quick kiss on her forehead.

"Just forget I said anything," she said. Christian sighed.

"Mia, if you really want to know, I'm not afraid to give you an answer." He replied. Mia snorted a bit.

"Of course you're not afraid to answer," she replied. "It's more of a is it an answer that won't be crushing to my ego sort of situation," she muttered, shifting off his lap.

"And what makes you so sure the answer would crush your ego?" Christian asked. Mia shook her head.

"Let's just drop it," she said.

"If you're sure." He replied. Mia nodded.

"Yeah," she said. "The stuff I did….well…..I've only done that once before….so….yeah, I'm sure you've had better…..and…..yeah," she said, shaking her head. "So, let's not go there," she affirmed.

"Alright." He replied. Mia frowned.

"So you have had better?" She asked. Christian sighed.

"Didn't you just say we're not going there?" He asked.

"Well, yeah…….but….." Mia paused as a response escaped her. Christian looked at her.

"Alright, why don't you just tell me what I should say here," he replied. Mia sighed.

"I don't know." She replied. "I……maybe just……let's forget it," she said.

"Okay, and do you actually mean 'forget it' this time?" He asked. Mia nodded. "Okay," he said. Christian looked at her for a second before smiling and pulling her back onto his lap. "Well, just for the record, the answer is no," he said, kissing her cheek. Mia blushed furiously.

"Really?" She questioned. Christian nodded. Mia shook her head. "You're just saying that."

"No I'm not...I'm being completely honest with you." He replied. Mia's blush only deepened.

"Oh," she said. Christian grinned.

"I think I like making you blush," he stated. Mia rolled her eyes and smacked his arm.

"I'm sure you do," she replied. "You just love getting under my skin." Christian's grin only grew.

"I believe I've gotten under more than just your skin," he chuckled. Mia smacked his arm again.

"Now you're just being creepy." She replied. Christian chuckled again.

"Just acknowledging what's gone on," he teased. Mia just snorted in reply.

"Whatever," she said. She frowned as her stomach growled.

"Hungry?" Christian asked, smirking a bit. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Well, I haven't eaten anything other than some toast this morning," she pointed out.

"Well, the lunch your mom packed is still sitting in my bike..."

"True," Mia nodded. "But we're up here and your bike's down there," she replied. Christian chuckled.

"I could go down and get the bag," he replied. Mia made a face.

"But that requires moving," she stated.

"Now who's being cheesy?" Christian teased.

"Ugh, fine." She replied, kissing him on the cheek. Christian smiled as Mia moved off his lap.

"I'll be right back," he said.

"You better be," Mia playfully threatened.

"Promise." He replied as he hurried out the window. Mia smiled and lay back on her bed as she watched him walk down the fire escape and disappear from sight. Outside, Christian couldn't keep from smiling as he jogged down the fire escape and walked over to his bike.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Said a voice. Christian looked up to see Andy standing a few feet away, his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face.

"Getting stuff from my bike?" He replied. Andy scoffed and approached him.

"Funny," he spat out. He came to a stop by the bike. "What were you doing in Mia's room?" He demanded. Christian snorted and lifted the seat up to retrieve Mia's bags.

"You know, for someone who pretty much ditched her this afternoon, you've got a lot of nerve coming at me like that," he said, not bothering to look at him.

"I had my reasons." Andy snapped. Christian grabbed the bags and looked at Andy.

"And I have mine. Surprisingly enough, I don't have to explain them to you." Christian replied. He gave him a smirk before pushing the seat back down on his bike and turning to go back up the fire escape. Andy grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"When it involves Mia, yes you do," Andy hissed.

"Dude, like I said before. You _ditched_ her this afternoon." Christian replied, shaking his arm loose of Andy's grasp.

"For the record," Andy barked, "I did not _ditch _her," he said. Christian nodded.

"Oh, no, you're right. Ditching implies being there for her and _then _leaving," Christian replied. "As supposed to what you did, which was more like never showing up, right?"

"Hey, what happened to coming right back?" Mia's teasing voice out, causing both Christian and Andy to look up and see Mia looking over the ledge of the balcony. Her eyes widened at the sight of Andy. "Wonderful," she muttered.

"Hi Mia." Andy snapped. Mia sighed and reached down, stealthily adjusting her shorts before walking down the fire escape.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I've been calling and calling. I got worried when I couldn't reach you," he stated.

"My phone was in my bag." She replied pointing to the bag that Christian was holding.

"I see," Andy said, glowering at Christian for a moment. "Well, I guess that explains why your phone wasn't with you. Now, mind explaining why he was?" He spat out. Mia blanched a moment.

"What?" She asked.

"You heard me," Andy replied.

"She doesn't have to explain anything to you," Christian said.

"Was I talking to you?" Andy snapped. Christian glared at him.

"I was playing him some of my music," Mia blurted out before the two could further their confrontation. Andy blinked and looked at her.

"Since when do you play your music for anyone?"

"I'm not just anyone," Christian sneered. Andy quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Oh really?" He asked.

"What he means is," Mia quickly jumped in, "is….well…….we're all a team now, right?" She said. "We're all…..teammates….and friends……..so he's not just anyone," she said.

"Whatever Mia." Andy replied. "First riding his bike and now you're sneaking him into your room and playing him your music?" He spat out. "What's really going on?"

"Exactly what I just told you Andy. Now drop it." Mia replied.

"Oh right, and you being so defensive makes it so easy to drop it," Andy stated.

"Leave her alone," Christian warned. Andy glared at him.

"Stay out of this," he said. Christian snorted.

"Make me, surfer boy," he sneered.

"Stop it. Both of you." Mia commented, stepping between them. Mia sighed and looked at Andy. "Andy, you can't totally change our set plans and then decide to get pissed off when I decide to hang out with someone else because you changed said plans," she said. Andy glared at her.

"Oh, so you being alone with this jackass in your room is my fault?" He asked.

"Actually, yes." She replied. Christian blinked, unsure how to take her response to Andy. Yes, Andy changing their plans had led to the two of them being alone but he sort of figured there were other, more compelling, factors.

"Fine then," Andy replied, "well, I'm here now so the friend substitute can get lost," he said.

"I'm not a doll Andy. You can't just toss me up on the shelf and except me to just drop everything when you want to play." She replied quietly. Andy sighed.

"Alright, Mi, I'm sorry I….ditched you…"

"He admits it," Christian stated. Andy rolled his eyes at Christian before looking back at Mia.

"I'm sorry okay?……..Nathan and I were alone…….his parents weren't home so…."

"You don't owe me any explanations," Mia sighed. "Just like I don't owe any to you." Andy stiffened at her commented. Mia told him everything, even if he didn't want to hear it.

"Fine then, I guess...I'll call you later." He replied. He turned to leave before stopping and turning back to them. "And just so we're clear, _Miangela_," he said, using her full name as if it he meant to cut her deeply with his words. "I'm not stupid. I know you two were doing more than what you say," he said, pointing to her neck. "Unless your piano playing has gotten a bit rougher since the last time I heard it," he sneered. Mia blushed and placed a hand on her neck as if to cover the forming hickies and bite marks, not that it mattered now though. "Yeah," Andy said his eyes narrowing.

"Oh, so it's okay for you and Nathan but not okay for her?" Christian bit out.

"Andy-" Mia began. Andy shook his head.

"He's going to hurt you Mi," Andy stated. "Just like Josh did. Only this time, I'm not going to be around to pick up the pieces." Mia's eyes widened.

"What?" She whispered. "Andy, what are you saying?"

"You know what I'm saying," Andy replied. Christian glared at him.

"You're a real piece of work, you know that?" He said.

"And you're just another asshole who's going to break her heart." Andy replied before walking away. Mia looked down. Christian looked at her and sighed.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Mia didn't reply and instead quickly walked away from him.

"Andy, wait," she called out after her friend's retreating form. She caught up to him just as he was about to round the corner to leave the back of the building and grabbed his hand, stopping him. "Don't go. Not like this," she said.

"Mi, you made your choice." He replied tilting his head in Christian's direction. "And I _can't _approve...I'm sorry." Mia felt her heart catch in her throat.

"Andy, you're not being fair…" She said softly. "I…..I was totally on board with Nathan how…."

"If you had said you didn't approve of Nathan, I would've dropped it," he replied. "Just go back and do whatever you where doing with Christian, I really could care less," he spat out. Mia blinked.

"Andy, we….we've been best friends for fifteen years…..you can't just…"

"Watch me," Andy replied, snatching his hand away and going to walk away. Mia stood there, watching him go.

"Okay," she finally said, making Andy stop. "Okay, I'm sorry," she said. "I….I was mad….I guess…..I was mad that you changed our plans and……..Chris was there……But….but it doesn't mean anything," she swore. Behind them, Christian stared at her, unable to believe what he was hearing.

"Really?" Andy questioned. Mia swallowed thickly, biting her lip before nodding.

"Yeah," she said.

"Unbelievable," Christian muttered, shaking his head. "Just un-fucking-believable." He continued to mutter as he flung Mia's bags to the ground before stalking over to his bike and climbing on. Mia looked back at him, regret shining in her eyes.

"I………I'm sorry," she said in a quiet voice. Christian just glared at Mia, the hurt overpowering the anger in his eyes before speeding off. Mia stepped back and watched him drive off.

"Well, good riddance I say," Andy said. Mia blinked and looked at him for a moment before looking down.

"Right," she softly said. She blinked again and looked up at him. "And just so we're clear, Andy, was this just a thing against Christian, or should I expect this anytime I'm with a guy? Just so I know, for future knowledge and all that."

"Just Christian." He replied. He looked at her. "You could do so much better than him, Mi," he said. Mia just nodded.

"Yeah." She replied. Andy shrugged and slipped his arm around her shoulders.

"Hey, listen, I do feel bad about abandoning you this afternoon," he said. Mia shook her head.

"No, it's okay. I get it, wanting some alone time with new boyfriend," she said, forcing a smile.

"Let me make it up to you," he insisted. "How about tonight, movies, just you and me?"

"Um, okay." She replied. "Can we just go rent a DVD and camp out in your living room?" She asked. A part of her wasn't sure she could handle being out and about, nor did she think she could handle having Andy in the same room she and Christian had been in. Andy gave a thoughtful nod.

"Sure, sounds like a plan. We can pick up some snacks too," he said.

"Mom packed us some snacks for the beach, they're still…" Her voice trailed off as she looked back at the canvas bag that Christian flung to the ground along with her beach bag. She looked down as she thought of why it was Christian had come to get the bags in the first place—because she was hungry. She had thought about the two of them having a small picnic in her room, making use of the snacks, just being together. That little fantasy was gone.

"You okay?" Andy asked, ripping through her thoughts. Mia blinked and looked at him.

"Yeah," she said, giving a nod. "Um, I'm just going to just go back upstairs and change," she muttered. Andy nodded.

"Okay, I'll be down here," he said with a shrug. Mia nodded and walked back to the fire escape, willing herself to hold in her tears just until she crawled back through her window. Once she was back through her bedroom window she leaned against the nearest wall, the very same wall Christian had held her against when his hand began its southern wanderings. She squeezed her eyes shut as the tightening in her chest, that began the second she went after Andy, increased and tears spilled out of her. She didn't even know why she was crying. What she had ruined by choosing Andy had just been a few hours in the making. It wasn't like she and Christian had engaged in a long drawn out affair that had just ended. It was over as soon as it began. But it hurt her none the less. Everything that had gone on from the first time she climbed on his bike, hit her hard and she barely had time to cover her mouth as a tiny sob leaked out of her lips. She wrapped her arms around herself as her knees bent and she slowly slid to the floor, her knees sliding up to her chest and her fingers burying themselves in her hair.

"Mi?" Came a concerned voice. Mia sniffled and looked up to see Andy on her balcony, looking in the window. He frowned and quickly climbed in. "Hey," he said softly, crouching down in front of her. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked. Mia looked at him for a moment, unable to believe he could possibly not know. She bit her lip and shook her head.

"Nothing," she said. "I'm fine…….Just…….I guess all the craziness and stress from today finally got to me," she fibbed. Andy moved beside her and wrapped his arms around Mia. He pulled her into a comforting hug, making her duck her head under his chin.

"Yeah," he chuckled a bit. "It's been a long day," he agreed. "Well, it's been a long few days," he amended.

"Yeah." She replied shakily. Andy smiled and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"But hey, as long as we stick together we can survive the crazy," he assured her. Mia looked down.

"Yeah," she muttered. She closed her eyes. "Just like always," she mumbled. Andy grinned.

"Hooray for consistency," he said.

"Sure." She replied. Mia took a deep breath and sat up, wiping her eyes, "So," she said in a cheery tone, hoping to change the subject, "how was alone time with Nathan?" She asked. Andy blushed.

"It was good." He replied. Mia smiled.

"Good, or _good_?" She asked. Andy thought about it for a moment.

"Hmm, something in between the two….go_od_ or _go_od," he chuckled.

"How good is good?" She questioned.

"Not as 'good' as two years ago," he clarified, indicating that he and Nathan hadn't gone that far. Mia snorted.

"Wasn't the whole issue of two years ago the fact that it in fact wasn't that good?" She asked. Andy frowned.

"Ouch, I think you just bruised my ego," he stated. "Besides," Andy chuckled, "as if you have anything to compare it to," he teased. Mia pursed her lips, looking down as the memory of Christian's attentions not too long ago was still fresh in her mind.

"Right," Mia muttered.

"Mia, are you sure you're okay?" Andy questioned. He gave her a careful look. "When Christian was here…..he didn't…you know……make you do stuff, did he?" He asked. Mia's eyes widened.

"What?" She asked incredulous. She glared at him, shoving his arms off her and standing up. "Are you serious? Are you seriously asking………assuming…….what I think you're assuming?" She asked.

"Whoa, hey," Andy said, standing up, "sorry, I just…..you look upset……..and I was worried-"

"So you just automatically assume he forced himself on me or something?" Mia hissed. She scoffed shaking his head. "Jesus Andy, if it wasn't for him I-" She stopped, shutting her mouth.

"You what?" Andy asked. Mia shook her head.

"Forget it," she said. "Just, go wait outside and let me get changed."

"What aren't you telling me?" Andy questioned, not moving from the spot where he stood.

"It doesn't matter," she replied. "I'm sure you'd find away to turn it around against him anyway," she muttered.

"What are you talking about?" Andy asked.

"Never mind Andy." She replied.

"Don't 'never mind Andy' me," Andy countered. "You're keeping something from me." Mia sighed.

"Fine, do you really want to know what happened?" Mia finally said.

"Yes," Andy replied. Mia sighed.

"Alright," she said. "We stopped at his place so he could get his beach stuff after we came here," she said. She paused for a moment and quickly decided to gloss over the part where Christian lost his temper with her. "Anyway, when we were leaving, he forgot his keys so he went back into his apartment to get it and while I was waiting for him, one of his neighbors……came on to me."

"Is that all?" Andy shrugged. "Well, was he cute at least?" Mia glared at him.

"It wasn't like that," she hissed. "The guy grabbed me and tried to……" She shook his head, deciding not to finish that sentence. "Christian came to my rescue," she simply concluded. Andy blinked.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Mia sighed, nodding.

"Yeah, thanks to Chris," she said.

"I see," Andy said. "Well, Mi, I…..I get that you must've been really grateful for him swooping in and all that…..but I'm sure a simple thank you would've sufficed," he said. Mia gave him a look.

"What?" She asked.

"It makes sense now," Andy said. "The whole you and Christian……doing whatever it was you were doing in here."

"Oh my god!" Mia exclaimed. "You…….I can not believe you!" She said. Andy put up his hands, his eyes winded a bit.

"Whoa, whoa, no………I mean…….I don't mean you………I just mean…..um……maybe after what happened you just-"

"You just thought I said 'oh hey, thanks ever so much for saving me, how about I repay you with a hand job'?!" She snarled. Andy's eyes widened even more.

"You what?!" He exclaimed. "Jesus Christ Mia, what the hell?!" Andy couldn't believe it. He had thought the two of them had just made out. He was appalled that she'd gone that far with him.

"What?!" She demanded.

"You barely know the guy…." Andy said, making a face. Mia looked away, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh, so Nathan's just this life long friend I never knew you had?" She asked.

"That's different." He shot back.

"Oh really?" Mia replied. "You barely said two words to him before yesterday and now you two are making use of parent-free houses? How's that different?" She asked.

"He's not an asshole!" Andy snapped. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Let's not start this up again," she groaned. She shook her head. "You know what, change of plans, why don't you just go find Nate and continue whatever you paused to come by over here and ruin-"

"Ruin what?" Andy replied. "You degrading yourself?" He asked. Mia blinked.

"Just go," she hissed.

"I don't think so Mia." Andy replied. Mia glared at him.

"What, having a good time insulting me and my principles?" She asked.

"Or lack thereof." He replied. Mia blinked as hot angry tears filled her eyes.

"Out!" She shrieked. Andy shook his head.

"No Mia, I'm not leaving." He replied.

"Get out before I throw you out," Mia hissed, her tears spilling out.

"No." He replied again, calmly. Mia stalked over to where Andy was standing and began to shove him by the shoulders. Andy stumbled backwards slightly before grabbing onto Mia's wrists and just holding them. After a few moments of Mia struggling to push Andy away, her anger and tears gave way. Sobbing, Mia slowly sat down on the ground. Andy sighed and sat down beside her. He put his arms around her again and hugged her tightly.

"God," she sobbed out. "I…….was such an idiot." What Andy had said did make sense. Christian was there for her in her time of need and she let him use that to his advantage. There was no other way to explain how things shifted so quickly between them.

"Ssssh Mi, its okay." Andy replied softly.

"I just….god……I'm just some big fat whore," Mia whispered. Andy sighed and tightened his hold on her.

"First of all, you are not a whore," he told her. "And you're certainly not fat," he said in a light tone, hoping a small joke would make her feel better.

"Who does shit like that?" She sobbed out. Andy sighed.

"It's not your fault," he soothed.

"Then whose is it?" She questioned.

"His," Andy stated firmly. "He took advantage of you." Mia blinked.

"I……..but he was there when that guy……" She began. Andy sighed, nodding.

"Yeah, he looked out for you…….and okay………I'll give him props for that…..But he then used your fragile state to his benefit."

"He didn't start anything Andy." She replied. Mia tried to look back to all the events preceding Andy arriving, and though Christian had been the one to initiate kisses, she was the one who took things further by grinding her hips into his back at the lake and she was the one who had him remove his shirt, which let to the attention she gave his scar and his hand going under her top in retaliation. "And………he……..he said all these really sweet things," she whispered.

"Of course he did," Andy sighed.

"He did." She replied earnestly.

"Yeah, I'm sure he did, but did he mean any of it or was he just saying anything he could to get you to let your guard down?" Andy replied. Mia was silent for a few moments before speaking.

"I think he actually meant it." She replied. Andy sighed.

"Well that was his goal, wasn't it? To make you think he said it so you'd let your guard down," he said. Mia sighed and shrugged out of his embrace.

"Andy, I…….I think I want to be alone right now," she said. All the things he was saying about Christian were leaking into her brain and engaging into a battle with the part of her that wanted to believe Christian had been genuine and she hadn't made a mistake. It was making her head hurt. Andy looked at her.

"Are you sure?" Andy asked. Mia nodded.

"I just…..want to…….maybe go to bed or something," she muttered. She looked out the window and snorted a bit. "Before dark," she said sardonically.

"Alright, if that's what you want." Andy replied. Mia nodded and put on a smile.

"Go find Nathan and continue whatever it was you were doing," she said, teasing him gently.

"Yeah." He replied.

"One of us might as well be happy," she muttered. Andy sighed.

"Mi," he said, slipping his arms back around her and kissing the side of her head. "You realize that if one of us isn't happy, than neither of us is, right?" He pointed out. Mia forced a smile.

"Well, that's even more reason why you should go find Nate and get yourself some happy," she said.

"But what about your happiness?" He questioned. Mia looked up at him.

"I'll be happy if you're happy," she said.

"But I can't be happy if you're not," he argued. Mia chuckled, shaking her head.

"Okay, now we're going around in circles," she said. She gave his leg a friendly pat. "Just go already," she gently said.

"Alright, I'm going..." Andy trailed off. "Only if you're sure," he added. Mia nodded.

"I'm so sure, I could be in one of those retro deodorant commercials," she joked. Andy grinned before giving her a hug.

"Call me if you need me." Mia nodded. The two stood up and made their way to the window.

"Where are you going?" Andy asked, suspiciously. Mia rolled her eyes.

"My bags are downstairs," she reminded him.

"Oh, right," Andy said, his tone verging on sheepish. Mia grinned.

"Silly Andy."

"But of course," he said with a bow. Mia giggled.

"Go on," she said, shoving him playfully. Andy chuckled and climbed out her window. Mia smiled and climbed out after him. The two walked down the fire escape and Andy picked up the two bags and handed them to her. "Thanks," she said.

"Anytime." He replied. He gave Mia a careful look. "Mia, are you su-"

"Tell Nathan I said hello," Mia cut in. Andy sighed and nodded.

"Alright I get it," he chuckled. Mia gave hi a weak smile.

"I talk to you later." She commented. Andy nodded and gave her a hug.

"Don't worry babe, we'll find you someone worthy of your Mia-ness," he smiled. Mia rolled her eyes and pulled out of the hug.

"Yeah, whatever," she said. "Bye," she said before taking a step back and going back up the fire escape. She gave him one last wave as she watched him turn and leave before climbing back into her window and tossing her bags on the floor. She turned back to the window and pushed it shut, locking it before closing her curtains and walking over to her dresser. She squinted through tears as she pulled out her pajamas from one of the drawers and changed out of her shorts and bathing suit. Once she was into her pajamas she grabbed the white canvas bag and crawled onto her bed, her hand reaching into the bag for a can of soda and a sandwich as she crossed her legs on her white comforter. She pulled the sandwich out of the little bag it had been in and took a small bite out of it. She wanted nothing more than to curl up in a tight ball in her bed and cry, but she knew she needed to have something in her stomach.

She set the sandwich on her lap and picked up the can of soda, popping it open before taking a swig. The soda tasted warm but she didn't care. The liquid felt good on her throat after what had happened. She sighed as she picked her sandwich back up and took another small bite. Within minutes she finished off her small meal and placed the soda can on her nightstand before shoving the bag of untouched snacks off her bed. She closed her eyes and slid down in the bed, her body curling into a tight fetal position as she gripped her pillow. The pillow had a distinct new scent to it. Christian. Mia let out a slight sob as she inhaled his scent. It smelled like him perfectly. A deep mix of soap and aftershave, distinctly Christian. The scent of Old Spice invaded her senses as her tears continued to leak out of her eyes. She pulled the pillow closer to her, clinging to it as if it were the last thing holding her to him.

Her head was still pounding from her doubts about what had happened. Christian had been so sweet, possibly even loving, she wasn't sure she could actually believe the things Andy was suggesting. But part of her wondered if it held some validity. Had it really been all a lie? Had Christian really said those things just to try and lower to guard? And was she so willing to lower her guard just because of what had happened and he had saved her? When she was in the little bottle of just him and her and their mutual caresses, everything made sense as it was. He wanted her and she wanted him. But now, in the harsh coldness of reality and loneliness, she wasn't sure what made sense anymore.


	14. Chapter 14

Mia's thoughts continued to circle through her head some time later as the tears continued to leak out of her eyes.

"Mia?" A soft knock on the door preceded the door gently being pushed open as Lucy came in. Mia sniffled and wiped at her eyes.

"Not now Luce," she nearly sobbed out. She prayed her sister would just go away, but instead she felt the bed shift under her weight as Lucy sat beside her on the bed, at Mia's back.

"What happened?" She quesitoned. Mia sighed.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said. Lucy placed a comforting hand on Mia's arm.

"There's a phone call for you in the living room….Do you want me to tell him you're napping or something?" Mia went to give an affirmative nod before she shifted onto her back to look at Lucy.

"Who?" She asked. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Your brand new friend," she said. Mia's breath hitched in her throat a moment before she shook her head.

"No, I'll take it." She replied quietly.

"Do you want to take it in here?" Lucy asked. Mia nodded. "And I suppose I should go get it?" She asked. Mia chuckled.

"If you don't mind," Mia replied. Lucy smiled.

"No big," she replied before getting up and leaving the room. She was gone a few seconds before returning with the grey plastic handset of the phone, the long telephone cord trailing behind her.

"Here." Her sister replied simply. Mia smiled softly.

"Thanks Luce." Mia said, taking the phone from her. Lucy nodded and left the room, wordlessly pulling the door close around the phone cord as she left. Mia sighed and put the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" She spoke timidly.

"Hi." Came the curt tone. Mia felt the tears sliding over her cheeks again.

"Hi." She replied, trying to keep her voice steady. She heard Christian give a scoff over the phone.

"That's all you're going to say?" He asked coldly. Mia felt her resolve cracking as the tears streamed faster down her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered.

"You're sorry?" Christian barked back. "You're sorry? Well, then I guess it's all okay then, huh?" He spat.

"Wh….what do you want me to say?" Mia asked.

"Oh I don't know, how about you meant nothing that you said to Andy?" He replied angrily. Mia closed her eyes as more tears filled her eyes and a sob bubbled inside of her. "Unless, you did mean it," Christian said, taking her silence the wrong way.

"I..." Mia trailed off. "Chris... Andy is my best friend in the entire world, and please-"

"I get it," Christian snapped. "He's your best friend and I'm just some guy you decided to have fun with for a little while." Mia blinked.

"No, I……" She sighed. "Christian, it's complicated," she whispered.

"Whatever, Mia," Christian replied.

"You're taking this the wrong way." She commented softly.

"Well how the hell am I supposed to take this?!" Christian yelled at her. Mia, not expecting this, accidentally let the sob she'd been keeping it slip past her lips and once that sob was expelled, more followed, refusing to be kept in.

"I...don't..." She trailed off between sobs. Christian grimaced as Mia sobbed on the other end. He didn't mean for her to end up in tears over the situation. The sounds of her sobs cut into him like a hot knife.

"Mia," he breathed out in a pained sigh. Her continued sobs on the other end of the line kept stabbing at him. "Please stop crying." He whispered softly. The sobs continued to pour out of her. "Mia, stop," Christian sighed.

"S...Stop what?" She demanded between sobs.

"Stop crying," Christian replied, he sighed, letting a soft chuckle pass his lips. "You're killing me over here," he stated.

"I'm sorry." She whispered as a few more stray sobs escaped her lips. Christian sighed again.

"Just don't cry anymore, okay?" He said. Mia was quiet as she swallowed back a sob.

"Okay." She whispered.

"Okay," Christian said. The two were quiet for a moment. "Did you mean it?" He asked.

"What?" Mia asked.

"What you said to Andy, about…..it not meaning anything," Christian said, his voice cautious, almost afraid to hear her response.

"No," Mia whispered. "It……didn't……..not mean anything………I just….." She closed her eyes. "I don't know what it meant," she finally admitted.

"Isn't it pretty obvious?" Christian asked. Mia bit her lip.

"I don't know," she said.

"Then what do you mean Miangela?" He questioned. Mia felt shudders run her through her body as he whispered her name. She gently bit her lip and shook her head.

"I just…….what happened…………I don't know if…….it happened for the right reasons," she said.

"So what you mean is that you think is that I took advantage of the fact that you weren't all there?" He questioned.

"I…….just think that…….maybe I was in a bad place and I……..reacted in an unhealthy way," she said. Christian sighed.

"Can I be honest with you Mia? He asked. Mia was quiet for a moment.

"Okay." She replied. Christian took a deep breath.

"I don't think you reacted that way because of what happened."

"What do you mean?" Mia asked. Christian sighed.

"I thought that too," he admitted. "Everything was feeling too good to be true…..so yeah, I questioned it too. But come on, most of the stuff that went on……If you were really just reacting to what happened with Jim…..You wouldn't have……..well, you wouldn't have been that okay with everything," he said, a little lamely as he tried to explain what he meant. "You would've just gone through the motions," he added. Mia bit her lip.

"But what if somewhere deep down I felt that………I needed to repay you," Mia said, Andy's assumption coming to her mind. Christian was quiet for a moment.

"I don't know what….or who," he said, adding a little venom to his tone as he knew all too well who the 'who' was, "made you think something like that, but I highly doubt that was the case. Last time I checked, you weren't some prostitute or something."

"I'm not." She replied.'

"I know that," Christian stated. "And whoever made you think along those lines….really doesn't deserve the privilege of having you in their life," he said. Mia was quiet for a moment.

"Don't try to turn me against Andy," she said. "He's my best friend."

"Right," Christian said. "I'm sure you only have room for one manipulator in your life, and I can see Andy's got that role down to an art form."

"Stop it," Mia said, her tone harsh.

"What do you want me to say then Mia?" He asked.

"I don't know!" Mia exclaimed, frustrated. "You're the one who called me." Christian sighed and was quiet for a moment.

"I'm sorry that I upset you." He commented quietly.

"You upset everything," Mia said without thinking. Her frustration had now made her resent him for complicating things with Andy, as well as complicating her thoughts, the second he first pressed his lips to hers. Christian scoffed.

"Of course I did." He replied sourly. "And it has nothing at all to do with your psychotic friend getting all possessive on you."

"He's not being possessive!" Mia shot back. "Just concerned."

"I notice you didn't contradict the psychotic part," Christian muttered.Mia sighed.

"He's not psychotic...He just doesn't want me to get hurt." She replied softly.

"And what makes him think I'll hurt you?" Christian asked softly. Mia went silent again.

"He thinks that you're like Josh was... That it's all just one big game."

"And what do you think?" Christian pressed. Mia looked down.

"I don't…….I don't know," she whispered. "I just….I don't know," she said.

"Bullshit," Christian said bluntly.

"Wh...What?" She questioned.

"I think its bullshit." He replied. "You know exactly what it is you think. Don't give me the 'I don't know' bullshit."

"What do you want me to say?" Mia said, holding in a sob.

"Just say what you want," Christian said in a gentle tone. Mia squeezed her eyes shut.

"I want……" She took a deep breath. "I want everything to just go back to how things were before everything got so complicated."

"Well, just talk to Andy, tell him to back the hell off and let you live your own damn life and things will get a whole lot less complicated," Christian replied. Mia was quiet for a moment.

"No," she hesitantly spoke. "I mean….I….." She trailed off, her voice breaking around a silent sob. There was silence on the other end of the line as Christian processed what she meant.

"I complicated things, not Andy," he stated. "Of course," he said bitterly.

"No you didn't," She replied very quietly. "I…..I complicated things," she said. Christian was quiet for a few moments.

"How did _you_ complicate things?" He questioned.

"By kissing you back," she whispered.

"I see," Christian breathed out. "So you regret everything that went on?" He asked. Mia was quiet for a few minutes.

"No." She replied honestly. "I don't think so….I just….everything's gone so wrong," she said, a small sob leaking out of her. The anger that Christian had felt began to fade away.

"Mia..." He breathed. "Please don't cry."

"I'm sorry," Mia said, sniffling as she tried to quiet her sobs.

"Don't be sorry." He replied softly. Mia took a deep breath.

"I know Andy seems unreasonable and maybe a bit of a jerk for what he said but-"

"There is no but, Mia," Christian sighed.

"But he's my best friend," Mia replied, picking up right where he cut her off. "He's always been there for me."

"Oh? I didn't see him there for you when Jim tried to drag you into his apartment," Christian stated.

"He didn't know. He was-"

"Busy living his own life, but certainly not too busy to stop by later and stop you from living yours," Christian said. Mia sighed as Christian continued. "Mia, he can still be your best friend...But you need to live your life your way, and not put everything on hold when he decides it's convenient for him to come by."

"I'm not putting things on hold," Mia replied. "I just…..he just doesn't think……." She paused.

"Doesn't think what?" Christian asked. Mia sighed.

"He doesn't think you're…."

"What? Good enough for you?" Christian asked. Mia went quiet.

"Something like that." She replied after a moment. Christian gave a harsh sounding chuckle.

"He might be right," he muttered. "But last time I checked, I wasn't trying to date him so him thinking I'm not good enough is irrelevant." Mia blinked.

"You want to date me?" She asked.

"….Well what did you think I was trying to do?" Christian asked, somewhat incredulously. Mia shrugged before realizing there'd be no way he'd see that, since they were speaking over the phone.

"I don't know. Everything just happened so fast…we didn't exactly discuss courtship," she muttered.

"What did you think I meant when I said you're everything I wanted?" Christian asked. "Or any of the other things I said and did?"

"I…….Chris, I'm sorry but the last guy I tried to date made it pretty clear he was after one thing, so excuse me for being a little clueless," she sighed.

"Mia, contrary to what Andy may think, I am in fact not Josh," Christian replied.

"I know that." She replied. "And I'm _trying_ to make Andy see that."

"It didn't look like you were trying too hard from where I was standing," Christian stated, a dejected tone in his voice. Mia sighed.

"I didn't think." She replied. It was true. While she had realized that Christian had been nearby, everything had gone out the window when she'd tried to appease both her feelings, and Andy's less than fun attitude regarding the situation. "I just….wanted to make everything right…..and it just blew up in my face."

"Well you succeeded in making things right with _him_," Christian said, the hurt and dejected tone still in his voice. All of his life, people he cared about had left him, hurt him. Something was more important, whether it was their own freedom or feelings, a bottle of alcohol, a cuter smarter better child, or their own lives and interests. He was never seen as someone worth caring for until he came across his last foster situation, what brought Gertrude into his life. She gave him a brief taste of what someone caring for him was like, but she left him too. The way Mia had kissed and touched him, it made him think that maybe he could have that brief taste back in his life. But all those hopes were shattered when Mia walked away from him and said those things to appease Andy. Mia bit back another sob. She knew that he had been upset when he'd departed, but until now she had no idea how bad it was.

"I'm so sorry." She replied softly, honestly. "What can I do to get you to forgive me?" Christian was quiet for a moment. "Chris?" She asked, the silence cutting into her deeply. "Say something, please."

"I have an idea...But you have to trust me." He replied. Mia blinked, frowning a bit as she wondered what she was getting herself in to. As bizarre as it was, she did trust him. He'd saved her a few times already, he'd been careful and kind to her, he had effectively done away with the jerk persona that had radiated from him from the moment she laid eyes on him in freshman year. But she did wonder what it was that he had in mind.

"Ok." She replied after a few moments. "I trust you...But what are we doing?" She questioned.

"What are you wearing?" He asked. Mia blinked.

"Okay, just because I trust you doesn't mean we're going to do phone sex or something," she said. Christian laughed.

"Good to know and that wasn't what I had in mind," he said. Mia blushed.

"Oh," she said. "So what did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking maybe just going to the lake and relaxing, if that's okay with you," he said. Mia furrowed her brows.

"Now?" She asked.

"Uh yeah, of course now." He replied.

"I'm in my PJs," Mia said.

"I suggest changing then," he said. Mia sighed.

"Into what?"

"I don't know," Christian replied. "Maybe something a little warmer than what you were wearing before, it's supposed to cool down tonight," he said.

"Alright, jeans and a hoodie then?" She questioned.

"Whatever," Christian said, the shrug evident in his tone. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Alright, so…should I meet you on the corner?" She asked. Christian chuckled.

"Uh uh," he said. "You want to be forgiven? Then you need to put some work into this," he said. "Meet me at the lake," he said. Mia blinked.

"The lake?" She asked. "But I don't have a car, how am I supposed to get there?"

"You'll find a way," Christian said. Mia sighed.

"Fine, I'll be there as soon as I can." She replied.

"No need to rush," Christian said. "I need to do some things first anyway," he said. Mia frowned.

"What things?" She asked.

"You'll see," Christian replied. "Hmm…...how does two hours sound?" He asked. Mia glanced at the clock.

"Um, okay?" She replied. Christian chuckled.

"Don't worry, it'll be fun," he assured her.

"Alright, I trust you." She replied. "I'll see you in two hours."

"See ya then," Christian said before hanging up. Mia sighed and stood up from her bed, leaving her room to return the phone to its cradle. She returned to her room, shutting and locking her bedroom door behind her. She bit her lip as she wondered what awaited her at the lake. She sighed as she crossed to her closet and pulled it open. She grabbed her jeans and tossed them onto her bed. She then returned to her closet and pulled out her white hoodie before going to her dresser and grabbing a bra from the top drawer and a white tank top from one of the middle drawers. She quickly pulled off her pajama top and slid her bra on over her shoulders. She then grabbed her tank top and placed it around her neck before putting her arms through the holes. She pulled the shirt down and began shedding her pajama bottoms as she hopped over to her bed to retrieve her jeans before plopping down on the edge of the bed and pulling on her jeans.

Once she was dressed she bit her lip thoughtfully for a moment before going over to her dresser and grabbing a small bottle of vanilla scented perfume and spraying some on to her neck and wrists. She grabbed an elastic band and pulled her hair back quickly into a loose ponytail. She then picked up her hoodie and pulled it on, smoothing down any flyaway hairs that had come up from the action and gave herself a look in the mirror. Mia sighed. She looked like hell, and she knew that Christian would pick up on it right away...But she knew that if she wanted to make amends with him, this was how it would have to be. She sighed and smoothed her hand over her hair once again, before bringing her fingertips to her face and wiping away any trace of her previous crying. She paused a moment before giving a slight nod to her reflection and turning away.

"Now, how do I get there?" She muttered to herself. She paused for another minute.

"Tony?" She called as she unlocked her door and pulled it open.

"He's downstairs," Lucy replied, coming around the corner.

"Oh," she said. "Do you know where his old bike is?" Lucy thought for a moment.

"Probably the attic," she said. Mia gave her a half smile.

"Could you get it for me?" She asked. Lucy glared at her.

"Oh, first the phone and now this?" She asked.

"Luce, come on," Mia begged. "I'd do it myself but I can't get covered in dust, not right now," she said. Lucy sighed.

"Fine, but you owe me huge." Her sister replied.

"Of course," Mia said. "When you get it, just bring it out to the backdoor and I'll meet you," she said. Lucy gave her a look.

"Sneaking out, I see," she said. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Yes, and I'll owe you even more if you keep that to yourself," she said. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Fine." She replied.

"Thanks sis," Mia smiled. Lucy gave her a dismissive wave as she made her way to the attic. Mia moved back into her room before shutting the door behind her again. She moved towards her window and slowly climbed out. She hurried down the steps and waited near the back door. She checked her watch and was satisfied to see she still had an hour and forty five minutes until she was expected. By the time the back door opened, the time had dwindled to ninety minutes.

"What the hell took you so long?" Mia asked her sister as Lucy wheeled out the bike.

"Sorry, Eddie caught me as I was sneaking the bike out," she sighed.

"Had to make sure the seat was the right height for baby sis," came their brother's reply as he walked out behind Lucy. Mia rolled her eyes.

"You told him?" Mia groaned. Lucy sighed again.

"What's the big secret? So you're meeting Andy at the movies, big deal." He said, confused. Mia looked over at Lucy, who gave her a secret wink. "One of us can give you a lift." Eddie commented. Mia just shook her head.

"No...I need the exercise." She replied. Eddie gave her an odd look before shrugging.

"If you say so," he said. "But if gets too late, you get Andy to drive you home," he ordered, displaying his big brother side. Mia nodded.

"Yeah," she said. Eddie gave one last nod before going back in. Mia smiled at Lucy. "You are a goddess," she said. Lucy chuckled.

"It's obvious that whatever you're doing is something mom, dad and the guys aren't to know about, so had to come up with something…And when aren't you hanging with Andy?" She chuckled. Mia sighed and took the bike and black bike helmet from her sister.

"Now," she admitted. Lucy nodded.

"Yeah, I figured," she said. She gave her a regarding look. "Just be careful, okay?" She said. Mia rolled her eyes as she mounted the bike.

"I won't ride too fast," she said.

"That's not what I meant," Lucy replied. Mia sighed.

"This isn't a safe sex speech, is it? Because first of all, that isn't happening, and second of all, been there done that," Mia stated. Lucy shot her baby sister a glance.

"I'm so not going there." She replied. She paused a moment. "And, just so you know, losing your virginity at fifteen to your gay best friend doesn't exactly mean you're overflowing with experience," Lucy added on. Mia chuckled.

"I thought you said you weren't going there," Mia said. Lucy sighed.

"Just be careful."

"Okay, okay," Mia said as she put on the helmet. Lucy gave her sister a smile before she headed back inside. Mia sighed as her heart gave a little flutter. She looked at her watch, groaning as she saw that she now had eighty five minutes left. She shook her head and snapped the helmet shut before peddling away from her home. As Mia peddled through the city and reached the back road to avoid cars, she wondered what awaited her once she reached her destination. She continued to pedal down the back roads as the lake came into view. She slowed down a bit to edge her watch closer to herself and saw she had a little less than half an hour left. She smiled a bit to herself through her huffing on the bike, due to the long journey, and quickly peddled the remaining mile. She slowed her bike down to a crawl and climbed off it before leaning the bike against a nearby tree. She looked over to see Christian's motorcycle parked not too far away.

"You're early," came an amused voice. Mia turned to see Christian approaching her.

"Sorry, it was just easier to leave after you called." She replied moving towards him. She hadn't counted on her legs feeling like jelly after her bike ride. She gave an involuntary shriek as she lurched forward. Christian's eyebrows went up and he tried to get to her but he was unable to reach her before she stumbled down to the ground, a soft grunt leaving her lips as her hands and knees hit the dirt.

"You okay?" Christian asked as he reached her and knelt beside her. Mia nodded.

"More embarrassed than anything," she muttered sheepishly.

"It's just me...No need to be embarrassed." He replied as he wrapped his hands around her waist and helped her up. Mia smiled as she stood up, only to stumble a bit against him. Christian's low chuckle filled her ear. "You really are falling for me, aren't ya?" He asked. Mia rolled her eyes.

"You try peddling for an hour and not have watery leg syndrome," she grumbled. Christian smiled.

"I'm sorry." He replied. Mia shrugged.

"I figure forcing me to exert myself is all part of your way of me making things up to you," she replied. Christian looked down at her, their eyes meeting.

"You showed up, that's all I needed," he stated softly. Mia blew out a quivering breath as her heart fluttered and the pit of her stomach became a butterfly sanctuary.

"Oh," she said in a soft tone. She blinked and looked away. "God, this is weird," she muttered. Christian shifted a bit beside her before helping her walk deeper into the clearing that led to the lake. "I mean….just a few days ago I was punching you in the jaw and now….what, evening rendezvous in romantic setti-" She paused, her voice catching in her throat as they reached the lake and she saw the set up. There was a red blanket set out on the ground with small unlit candles in glass cups set up around it and on the picnic table. "Oh," she whispered, surprised he had done all this. Christian blushed.

"Do you like it?" He questioned. Mia blinked and looked at him.

"I……I don't know what to say," she said. She looked back at the set up. "I…." She sighed and shook her head before looking at him again. "I don't deserve this," she said. Christian frowned.

"So you don't like it, then?" He asked. Mia quickly shook her head.

"No, no, I love it. It's just……..Well, I messed up and hurt your feelings earlier," she said. "You shouldn't be the one doing all this for me, I don't deserve it." Christian blinked.

"I think you do deserve it." He replied. Mia sighed.

"And what makes you say that?" She asked. Christian turned to look at her directly before slipping a hand to gently cup her face.

"Because I care about you Mia, a lot." He replied. He gently bit his lip for a moment, regarding her carefully before continuing. "And you showed up," he said in such a tone that implied her arrival was up there with walking on water in terms of great feats. Mia blinked.

"You already mentioned that," she pointed out lamely. Christian smiled at her softly.

"I'm still somewhat in shock." He replied. Mia looked down.

"A lot of people have let you down in your life, haven't they?" She muttered quietly. She heard Christian sigh.

"You could say that," he said. Mia gently bit her lip.

"I'm sorry….if….I was one of them….when Andy-" Her words were cut off by Christian tilting her face up and catching her in a soft kiss. Mia felt her insides melt as they kissed. She whimpered softly when Christian pulled away, ending the kiss.

"You came," he whispered against her lips. Mia sighed.

"Okay, yes, I came," she said, blushing a bit. "Quit making it sound like I cured cancer just by riding my brother's old bike over here." Christian ran a thumb against her cheek.

"I just mean that you choose to be here when you could've decided not to bother with me," he said softly. Mia smiled softly.

"I want to be here." She replied. Christian's eyes lit up; as if she'd just given him the biggest compliment one person could give another. Mia chuckled. "What would you have done if I hadn't shown up?" She asked. Christian chuckled.

"I may have had to resorting to kidnapping you." He replied as he pressed a feather light kiss to her nose. Mia giggled, her face scrunching up a bit.

"Hmm, I think I could've gone for that," she said, her tone verging on husky. Christian grinned as he stepped in closer.

"Now I have an idea for next time." He commented. Mia smiled.

"Looks like it," she replied as he lowered his lips to hers and they met for a slow kiss. Much like the one before it, Christian pulled away first resulting in a whimper and pout from Mia.

"Sit," he said, guiding her over to the picnic table. "I haven't finished setting things up yet," he said. Mia blinked.

"There's more?" She asked, surprised. Christian looked at her.

"Well it wouldn't exactly be a picnic without food." He replied teasingly. Mia blinked again and numbly sat down on the bench.

"Oh," she said. Christian kneeled before her and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Don't go anywhere," he said playfully before getting up and making his way over to his motorcycle.

"Or fast at least." She joked under her breath. Within minutes, Christian returned carrying a bag. He set the bag on the table before pulling out two large Tupperware containers; one containing what looked like spaghetti and the other containing something that resembled chicken salad, and two sets of plastic plates, forks and cups, and a bottle of soda. "You went all out," Mia mused gently.

"It's nothing extravagant." He replied. Mia reached over and placed a hand on his.

"It is," she said softly. "No one's ever done anything like this for me before," she admitted. Christian blushed.

"Seems to be a night of firsts." He replied softly. Mia smiled. "C'mon," Christian said, gesturing his head to the blanket. "Can you make it on your own or do you need some help?" Mia stood cautiously, bending her knees slightly. She felt her body beginning to sway.

"Some help would be great." She commented softly. Christian smiled and set the things down on the table before going over to her and wrapping an arm around her waist while the other took hold of her arm.

"Better?" He asked as she leaned on him for support.

"Much," Mia replied. Christian grinned.

"Good." He replied as he eased them over to the blanket. Christian released her arm and placed his free hand on her waist before slowly lowering Mia into a sitting position. He knelt behind her for a moment, placing a soft kiss on her neck before standing back up and grabbing the food. Mia smiled her skin growing warm where he had kissed her, as she watched him bring their meal over to the blanket before sitting down beside her. He popped the lids off the spaghetti and meatballs before portioning off half onto each plate. He then did the same with the chicken salad. Mia smiled as he handed her one of the plates and handed her a fork before pouring her a glass of soda.

"This was a really cute idea." She commented as she took a bite of the spaghetti. Christian grinned.

"I'm glad you like it," he said. They ate in silence for a while, enjoying the presence of the other.

"So," Mia said, her tone light and teasing, "if you had had to resort to kidnapping me, would there be any differences from what's going on now?" She asked. Christian chuckled.

"Not really," he said. "Other than probably tying you to that tree over there," he joked.

"Hmm..." She replied. "I never really pictured you as being a bondage type of guy." Christian laughed and leaned in closer to her, catching her lips in a kiss.

"I'm chock full of surprises," he whispered against her lips. Mia licked her lips, catching a bit of tomato sauce that he had had on his lips when he kissed her, and smiled.

"I bet you are," she murmured. Christian grinned. "I just might have to stick around to see some of those surprises," she added.

"Sounds good to me," Christian replied.

"Me too." She replied. She smiled before returning to her food. She looked around after a moment. "Did you bring matches for the candles?" She asked around a piece of chicken in her mouth. Christian grinned.

"Don't need 'em," he replied before sticking his hand out. Within seconds every single candle came to life with a small orange flame.

"Cute...But so cheesy." She teased as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. Christian chuckled a bit as he shrugged.

"Hey, it gets the job done, doesn't it?" He asked. Mia simply giggled in response as they continued eating.


	15. Chapter 15

The rest of the meal passed in silence as they enjoyed the food. Once they were done with their food, Christian took both plates and cups and set them aside before pulling Mia into his arms. Her back rested against his chest, arms sliding around her. Mia leaned her head back against his shoulder as he gently nuzzled her temple and kissed her forehead.

"What are we going to do?" She asked, breaking the silence.

"About what?" Christian asked. Mia sighed.

"Andy," she said. Christian went silent for a few moments while he thought about it.

"Well...There's two choices. We could tell him...Or, just...keep it a secret." He replied.

"Telling him would just result in what happened earlier," Mia stated. Christian looked down.

"So, what do you want to do? Keep things quiet or not do anything at all?" He asked. He went to move his hands off of her but she quickly grabbed them, keeping them in place.

"I want this," she asserted. Christian smiled.

"Just checking," he whispered against her cheek before placing a gentle kiss on it.

"Mmhmm." She replied softly, closing her eyes and leaning her head against Christian's. She tilted her head to look at him. "Would keeping things private be okay with you though?" She asked. "I mean, sneaking around and-"

"If the choice is either have you in secret or not have you at all, I don't mind sneaking around," he said, making Mia's heart flutter yet again.

"Perfect." She replied, smiling. Christian smiled and gently kissed her forehead. The two lapsed into a comfortable silence. After some time, Mia saw Christian's hands slowly go up to the zipper of her hoodie and began to pull it down. Mia chuckled. "Well, someone certainly feels like he doesn't need an invitation," she said amusedly.

"Invitations are overrated." He replied huskily. Mia smiled.

"Seems like everything's overrated these days," she stated. She felt Christian nod against her head.

"Damn skippy it is." He replied as he slid his hand into her open hoodie. He gave a small growl, sending a shiver down Mia's spine, as his hands came in contact with her tank top. "I recall you saying you were wearing jeans and a hoodie, I don't remember any mention of something under the hoodie," he whispered in her ear.

"Well, that's subtle," she chuckled.

"Hmm." He replied as he let his hand slip down the top of her tank top. He heaved an annoyed sigh as he came across her bra.

"I figured underwear was a given," Mia giggled.

"You're making this a lot more difficult." He growled in her ear. Mia gave a soft moan as another shiver went down her spine. Christian gave a low throaty chuckle. "Although it sounds like you're enjoying yourself, so maybe not," he whispered against her neck before giving it a small bite like he had before. Mia gasped, her back arching against him out of reflex.

"You seem to really like that spot," Mia muttered. Christian gave another low chuckle.

"Actually, it seems like you really like that spot," he replied before biting her neck again. The hand that hadn't slipped under her shirt moved behind her, slipping into the shirt from the hem and quickly finding the clasp of her bra. After a few moments of fumbling tries fueled by determination, he was able to flip it open. Mia had no time to give a teasing jab before his other hand slipped under the now looser cup of her bra. Christian's hand slowly slid under her breast, cupping it gently. He bit her earlobe gently. "Now, this I think is the spot I like," he teased. Mia gave a soft sigh, followed by a small pleasured yelp when his thumb slid over her nipple. "And you don't seem to hate it," he said.

"Keep acting smug and I'll start to hate you," Mia grumbled.

"I doubt that." He replied as repeated the movement. Mia growled and quickly turned to face him, making his hand slip away from the front of her shirt. She put her hands on his chest and pushed him down on the ground, practically pouncing on him as she pushed him down to a lying position on the blanket and straddled his hips. Christian raised his eyebrows.

"And what's this?" He asked. Mia gave a slow grin and leaned into him, pressing her body down into his as she drew her lips closer to his.

"Why should you get to have all the fun?" She asked innocently before nipping at his bottom lip.

"Who said that I was going to have all the fun?" He questioned as he pushed her hoodie and tank top up and letting his hands run across her skin. Mia moaned gently and grinded her hips down into his. Christian groaned as she pressed herself against him. Mia grinned.

"You like that?" She asked huskily.

"You know I do," Christian replied in the same tone. Mia's grin only grew as she grinded her hips into his even deeper.

"How about that?" She asked. Christian groaned a little louder, his body beginning to react to Mia's actions. Mia smiled as she felt his reaction. "So, I guess you do like that?" She asked. Christian groaned and pulled her head down, forcing her lips to his as his tongue dove deep into her mouth while his hips pushed up into hers. Mia gasped lightly into his mouth.

"You like that?" Christian teased against her lips. Mia simply gave a small nod as their lips fused together again. After a few moments, Christian pulled away, slightly gasping for air.

"Mia..." He whispered as her hips moved against his again. She grinned and slid one of her hands down in between them, slipping it into his shorts. Christian gave a loud moan in sheer anticipation. Mia smiled and pressed her lips to the edge of his mouth as her hand found what it was looking for. Christian groaned as her felt Mia wrap her hand around him.

"Someone's excited," Mia teased as she gave a leisurely stroke.

"Someone needs to stop teasing someone," came his husky reply.

"And just how am I teasing you?" She questioned huskily as she gave him a few more strokes. Christian groaned, reflexively trusting into her touch. His hand traveled up from her stomach to cup her breast again. Mia gave a few quicker strokes in response. Christian groaned, his thumb flicking past her nipple before a brand new sensation came to her. "Oh!" She yelped as she felt her skin warming under his touch.

"Too hot?" Christian gasped out to her, concern wrapped in his husky tone. Mia bit her lip and quickly shook her head.

"That's an interesting way to use your powers," Mia sighed, her eyes drifting shut as his hand on her breast warmed up a bit more.

"Glad……uh…………you think so," Christian panted out as her hand picked up the pace. Though Christian had been with girls before, he of course had never tried something like this. He figured stopping to explain to them how it suddenly felt like a heating pad was on their chest would ruin the mood. But Mia knew and had powers herself, allowing him to test his out in their touching of one another. It was just one more thing to add to the list of ways she was so different than those he'd been with before. Mia grinned as she continued to stroke him steadily.

"Kind of unfair I can't do the same," she mused gently. Christian groaned as he felt himself slowly reaching his peak.

"You've...Got talents...other places." He moaned. Mia smiled and pressed her lips to the edge of his mouth again.

"That's sweet," she giggled. The sound of her giggle was drowning out in his ears by the sound of his quickening pulse as his peak grew closer and closer. Mia continued to stroke him as he arched his back and climaxed. He gave a loud groan before his body slumped down on the blanket and he fought to catch his breath. Mia smiled as she climbed off of Christian and snuggled up again him, removing her hand from his shorts. Christian panted as it took nearly all what was left of the little strength he had to bring his arm around her and hold her close. He turned his head to her and brushed his lips across her forehead.

"As soon as I recover," he breathed against her skin, "I'm having my fun." Mia grinned.

"You mean that wasn't your fun?" She teased. Christian simply groaned and held her closer.

"Oh, it was fun." He replied. "But I think that I should get to initiate some."

"Oh?" Mia asked innocently. "And what, pray tell, would you like to initiate?" She asked as her hand went under his shirt and lightly touched his scar.

"You'll just have to wait and see." He replied slowly.

"Oh, do I?" She asked as her fingers lightly tickled him. Christian groaned.

"Yes, you do." He replied as his hand grabbed hers. Mia pouted.

"Spoil sport," she said. Christian shot her a lazy grin as he kissed her temple.

"Don't worry." He replied. "It'll be worth the wait," he said. Mia smiled.

"I'm sure it will be," she said, her hand sliding from his grasp as she tickled him again. "But what if I'm horrible at waiting?" She teased. Christian let out another groan.

"You're going to have to wait." he replied. Mia sighed.

"I guess I'll have to do something to occupy myself while I wait," she said before lowering her lips to the side of his neck and planting a low kiss on it. She then bit and sucked on a spot of neck flesh, resulting in a moan from Christian.

"That's how you occupy yourself?" He asked. Mia grinned.

"Consider it payback for the little marks you left on my neck earlier this afternoon," she replied.

"I didn't hear you complaining at the time." He replied.

"Nor am I complaining now," she said. "But it's going to be impossible to keep these covered up with makeup, and only an idiot would wear a turtle neck in the summer. So…" she said, giving him another bite. "It's only fair that you feel my pain." Christian groaned as she nipped at his neck again.

"I like this kind of pain." He replied. "Though, you should know this is counter productive to my recovery." Mia giggled and gave him another bite.

"Oh darn," she said, "guess I'll just have to keep on waiting then," she smiled against his skin before sucking on his pulse point.

"What happened to being impatient?" He questioned.

"I found something to occupy myself with," she replied against his neck. "I'm having too much fun torturing you," she grinned.

"Hmm, well that time is over." He replied as he rolled on top of her. "My turn." He grinned.

"Thought you were still in recovery," Mia teased.

"I got my second wind," he replied before his mouth attacked her neck, sucking and biting the side he had ignored that afternoon.

"Oh great, more little marks," Mia groaned. Christian chuckled.

"Well, gotta make things even, don't I?" He asked. Mia giggled.

"Something like that." She replied. Christian grinned as he continued working on her neck as his hand traveled down to her jeans. He popped the button open and slowly slid them down. Mia sighed as her hands went up to his hair. Christian nudged his hand into her underpants, his thumb and fingers quickly finding their place from earlier that day. Mia gave a soft moan. "Going in for the kill, I see," she gasped out. Christians' grin only widened as he started up the ministrations he had done on her bed, his fingers sliding in her as his thumb teased her.

"You could say that," Christian muttered against her skin. Mia sighed and threw her head back, falling into the sensations and giving him more access to her neck. Christian chuckled as an idea struck him and he began concentrating on his hand.

"OH!" Mia yelped as his hand grew warm, much like it had on her breast, though this sensation was much more intense causing her hips to jerk beneath him. Christian grinned as he repeated the motion again. "Mmm," Mia moaned. "Not that I'm not enjoying this," she gasped out, "but be careful. I really don't need second degree burns down there or anything."

"Don't worry." He whispered lightly into her ear. "I won't burn you." Mia blinked and looked down at him. Something about what he had just said hit her hard. It held multiple meanings. He was assuring her that his little caresses would stay on the safe side, but it felt like he was also telling her more, telling her he wouldn't hurt her on an emotional level. Mia bit her lip as a wave of pleasure coursed through her as the heat continued to touch her.

"Alright then," she said. Christian smiled and gently kissed her neck. He smiled as his other hand slowly traveled up under her shirt.

"I hope this wasn't expensive," he muttered against his skin as his hand came to her bra.

"Huh?" Mia replied. She gasped when she suddenly felt heat spread across her chest. "What are you doing?" She asked in a mild panic.

"Don't worry," he assured her. Within seconds he burned through the middle of her bra, causing the cups to loosely fall to the sides before pulling back the head on his hand and touching her. "It was in the way," he chuckled. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Not like I needed it or anything." She replied. Christian grinned.

"I've always found them to be overrated," he said. Mia threw him a glare.

"Didn't know you had a developed opinion on women's underwear," she said, feeling a pang of jealousy over who else Christian might've had in this position in the past.

"Just an observation," Christian replied, placing another kiss against her neck. Mia sighed as the sensations he was causing did away with her jealousy. Partly because no matter who or how many he'd been with before, she was the one he was touching that moment and partly because she was beginning to have trouble thinking of anything, let alone Christian's past. Mia gasped as his ministrations on the lower half of her body sped up, the heat increasing slightly. Christian smiled as her body tensed beneath him and much like before, soft Spanish mutterings leaked out of her mouth. "Remind me to carry around a Spanish to English dictionary around you," he teased gently. Mia shut her eyes as her back arched and she expelled one last moan as she climaxed. Mia sighed as her body slumped back on the blanket and she panted, fighting to catch her breath.

"That was intense," she whispered, her eyes drifting shut for a moment. Christian smiled and slid off her, slipping his hand off her before settling beside her and pulling her close to him. Mia settled in his embrace, snuggling beside him.

"Glad you thought so," Christian chuckled. Mia simply sighed and nestled deeper into his embrace.

"Could've done without the clothing destruction though," she chuckled, catching sight of one of her bra straps loosely hanging on her arm. Christian shrugged.

"I'll buy you a new one." He replied. Mia chuckled again.

"We've been together for just a few hours and already we've reached the 'okay to buy underwear for each other' stage?" She asked.

"Well, if you prefer we could just forget clothing all together and just go around naked." He teased.

"Oh yes, going around naked out here, by the lake, so my thing," Mia said rolling her eyes. "Hate to break it to you but exhibitionism isn't really what I'm into."

"Oh, you're no fun," Christian chuckled. He paused a moment before grinning. "So, wait, does that mean that if we weren't outdoors like this, the no clothes thing would be a possibility?" He asked. Mia blinked as she realized she'd left herself wide open for that one.

"Well, no," she quickly said. "The outdoors thing is the secondary reason as to why that won't be happening," she said. Christian snorted.

"Sure." He replied, teasingly. Mia blinked and looked down as she eased out of his embrace and sat up. Christian looked at her. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked as he sat up as well. Mia reached down and pulled her hoodie back on and zipped it all the way up.

"It's getting late, I should go," she mumbled. Christian peered at her for a moment, wondering what had happened to change her demeanor so.

"I……I guess if you want to…." He replied, though he knew he didn't want to be parted so soon. Mia nervously twirled a stray piece of hair around her finger as she continued to look down. "Can I just ask……why the sudden need to go?" He asked gently. Mia sighed and shook her head.

"It…….It's my fault really," she muttered. "I shouldn't have……..um……..taken things further back in my room." Christian blinked.

"What, so now you're regretting everything?" He asked.

"Um..." She trailed off. Christian looked away, scoffing softly.

"Right," he said. "Well if that's the case, yeah maybe you should go," he said, the hurt evident in his tone. "Just go back and find your little friend Andy and tell him how this didn't mean anything either," he muttered. Mia looked at him.

"Well, did it?" She asked. Christian gave her an incredulous look.

"You seriously need to ask?" He responded. Mia looked away.

"Sorry, was looking for something a bit more substantial than _that_," she murmured. Christian threw up his hands.

"What do you think it meant Mia?" He demanded. Mia gave him a hard look.

"What am I supposed to think it meant?" She asked. She shook her head and climbed up to her feet. "Forget it," she said. "I'm sure you got enough to earn bragging rights around school come the fall. Congratulations, you get to trump Josh," she hissed. Christian jumped up to his feet.

"What the hell does this have to do with Josh?" He demanded, his frustration getting the best of him. Mia shook her head again.

"Like I said, forget it, I'm going home," she said before turning to go back to Tony's bicycle. Christian caught her hand and stopped her from taking a single step.

"How am I supposed to 'forget it' after a comment like that?" He asked.

"Easy, you just stop thinking about it." She replied, pulling her hand out of his grasp. "Believe me that's what I plan on doing," she bit out. Christian stared at her for a long moment.

"Mia, what the hell's going on?" He said. "I mean, did I do something wrong or is this sudden attitude switch every time I touch you something I need to get used to?"

"Oh, no need to get used to anything because you're never touching me again," Mia scoffed.

"Wh...What?" Christian asked, shocked. He narrowed his eyes at her. A part of him had thought she wouldn't hurt him like so many in his past had. What she had said to Andy about things not meaning anything had hurt him but after their phone conversation and her showing up at the lake he brushed it off as just a fluke. Now here she had hurt him again and he couldn't just brush it off. "Fine," he spat out. "As if I wanted to anyway," he hissed. Mia swallowed thickly and looked away as tears began to tickle the back of her eyes.

"Good," she replied.

"Perfect." He replied. Mia tightened her jaw and shook her head before smoothing and adjusting her clothing and making her way towards the bicycle, wiping at a few tears that had begun to make their descent. She reached where the bike had fallen to its side after she climbed off it and bent down to lift it back up. "So," she said sardonically, "just curious, how many other girls have you gotten to fall for all this?" Christian remained silent. "I mean, am I, what? One in five? Ten? Fifteen?" She stood up, pulling the bicycle up with one hand and picking up the helmet with the other. "Frankly I think I'd feel less like an idiot if I knew I wasn't the only one who fell for the whole lakeside romantic candlelit picnic con," she muttered. At his continued silence she shook her head before balancing the bike against her hip as she pulled on the helmet, quickly clicking the chin strap in place. "Why do I always go for the assholes?" She mumbled to herself. Christian blinked and looked at her.

"I'm not an asshole." He snapped. Mia's chin quivered a bit as she swallowed back a sob before she chanced a glance his way.

"That's what I thought," she said softly. "I defended you when Andy said you were an ass earlier today, outside the ice cream parlor." She shook her head and looked back at the bike.

"You weren't wrong then." He replied.

"Of course you think that," Mia scoffed. "I'm sure Josh thinks he's a decent guy too," she muttered. Christian groaned and walked over to her, placing his hand on the bike to keep her from quickly getting on and peddling away.

"In case you've forgotten, I'm not Josh," he pointed out angrily.

"I never said that you _were_ him. I just said you're _exactly_ like him." She spat.

"And how do you figure that?" Christian demanded. Mia simply glared at him and snatched the bike out of his grasp.

"Take a wild guess," she hissed as she mounted the bike.

"Mia." He replied grabbing her wrists. "I'm not like Josh," he affirmed. Mia looked at him.

"No, you get the 'privilege' of knowing you got a lot further than Josh did," she stated.

"And you think that's all I care about?" Christian asked. Mia looked away as more tears threatened to fall.

"Well you seem to be relishing in it," she muttered.

"Trust me Mia, if I was anything like Josh, I would have said or done something different." He replied. Mia blinked, a few tears rolling out.

"Well congrats, you're a bit more savvy than him," she said. Christian rolled as his frustration only increased.

"So, what is it then, any guy who's not Andy is automatically like Josh?" Christian asked. Mia shook his head.

"It's not like that," she said.

"Then tell me what it is like then," Christian insisted. "What the hell just happened? One minute we're close and everything's fine and then suddenly you're just…….well, being a bitch," Christian stated. Mia glared at him, giving him his first glimpse of the tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Well aren't you a sweet talker," she hissed. Christian sighed, closing his eyes.

"You're crying again," he muttered. Mia rolled her eyes and shifted her shoulder to wipe her cheek against it.

"I'm sorry; people tend to cry when they've been used. Maybe it's just a girl thing, I don't know," she spat out. Christian opened his eyes and gave her a careful and confused look before stepping closer to her.

"What?" He asked, shocked she would think that. Mia looked away. "How could you think that?" He asked.

"Well what am I supposed to think? All we've done is be touchy feely. Oh wait, I'm sorry, we did also eat, how can I forget that," she said with a harsh chuckle. She shook her head again. "I know, it's my fault I'm the one who took things further…." She bit her lip and let her voice trail off.

"Mia…" Christian spoke softly. Though he still felt hurt by what she had said, his anger couldn't remain steady at the sight of her tears. "That's not…..that's not what this…" He began, unsure where to go from there. Mia scoffed and shook her head.

"Oh what, going to say you love me or something?" She asked. Christian grew quiet.

"Um..." He trailed off. Mia blinked and gave him a surprised look. "Well, I guess now would be a bad time for that," he muttered. Mia stared at him disbelievingly for a moment before shaking her head.

"You're messing with me," she said.

"I'm not." He replied sincerely. Mia simply looked away. Christian sighed and released her wrists, his hands coming up to her face and wiping her tears. "I……….I didn't mean for you to think that………that all I wanted was….." He sighed and chuckled a bit. "God, you are thick headed." Mia threw him a glare.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

"Well, how else can you explain it? I even said that I want to date you when we were on the phone…..not to mention everything else I've said today…..What does it take for you to get it?" He asked. Mia just shrugged in reply. "No, I really want to know," Christian insisted, not taking her shrug as an acceptable answer.

"I thought you were just…." She began, before her voice trailed off.

"Just what?" He asked. "Lying?" He asked. Mia bit her lip and looked down. Christian sighed and leaned forward, his forehead resting against hers. "You are so difficult," he muttered.

"I guess I missed the memo where you were Mr. Perfect." She replied.

"I'm far from perfect," he replied. He lifted his head, pressing his lips to her forehead. "Don't go," he requested. Mia sighed softly.

"How do I know that you're not lying to me?" She asked cautiously. "Josh seemed like Mr. Perfect throughout our entire date then next thing I know I'm the school tease." Christian sighed.

"I'd never hurt you like that," he swore.

"But how do I know that?" She questioned, emotion thick in her voice. Christian looked like her.

"Because most of my life I've been hurt by people I thought cared about me and I in turn cared about. It sucks. I wouldn't want to inflict that on anyone." Mia gave him an incredulous look.

"And being a jerk to everyone, myself included, since day one of freshman year was what…..you being considerate?" She asked. Christian looked down.

"Freshman year….was a bad time for me," he muttered. "And….by then….I just….figured that if I was a jerk to everyone, then no one would get close and I wouldn't have to care about anyone and I wouldn't end up getting hurt eventually," he admitted.

"What made you think things would just take that progression?" She asked. Christian gave a soft snort.

"Because it always has," he muttered.

"Things change, you know." She replied.

"Do they?" He asked, giving her an earnest look. "I took a chance because I thought maybe you'd be the exception to the rule…..You hurt me when you just dropped me like a hot potato the second Andy objected…..but I thought…..Hey, she seems really remorseful and sorry…….well, that's new…so I took a chance with you again……and now this…"

"Fine, just add me to the list of other people in your life who've let you down," Mia said, moving away from him and throwing her hands up in the air. "I'm not the only one who's so difficult," she accused. "How am I supposed to know if you're being real with me if up until….what, this afternoon?...All I've known you as is Christian Miller, all around James Dean wannabe jerk with a ten foot steel rod up his ass."

"For the life of me I really don't get where people get the James Dean thing," he muttered.

"Don't be cute," Mia replied.

"I'm not trying to be." He replied. He sighed. "All I mean is…..As much as you can't be sure I'm not like Josh and I'm not lying to you…..How can I be sure you don't deserve a place on that list you mentioned? I mean….I don't think you do……I don't want you to be on that list………but I've been wrong before."

"Okay, so we just…..forget today? Chalk it up to hormones or adrenaline from our new Ranger status? What?" Mia asked. Christian sighed, shaking his head.

"No, that's not what I mean," he said. "I'm just saying that….you're not the only one with doubts and uncertainties here. But….and maybe this is just me being a masochistic idiot, I'm willing to go on faith here, instead of experience." Mia looked down. Christian sighed and gently took hold of her hand. "Can't you do the same?" He asked.

"I..." She began. She bit her lip and slowly looked up at him before looking down again. "…I feel stupid," she sighed. Christian frowned.

"Okay," he muttered, "that wasn't quite the response I was hoping for." Mia sighed.

"I…..I feel stupid…….All my….what? Emotional baggage……I base it off one jerky football player who spread a little rumor about me at the start of the school year…….And you….I," she shook her head. "I don't know everything that's gone on in your life…….nor am I saying I have to know…….but the stuff with your parents alone it's heavier than some stupid cheerleaders having a reason to snicker and stick their noses up at me in the hallways. And yet I make it seem like it's this huge traumatic thing and……" She sighed. "I feel stupid," she concluded. Christian rubbed her arms softly.

"Don't feel that way." He replied.

"It's just…I get it, the experience you're throwing aside for faith….it's huge, and I get that. My experience? One jerky guy. Just one! I must seem like some naïve idiot." Christian shook his head.

"No, you're not." He replied. "Don't beat yourself up for being able to say that the worst that's ever happened to you is some stupid guy who had no clue how lucky he was to even exist on the same planet as you let alone having a date with you and decided to use that stupidity to spread a rumor about you." Mia blushed slightly. "The amount of experience you've had….it's irrelevant." He gave her a careful and unsure look. "What's relevant is…..well….how's that experience going to play here?" He asked.

"My hoodie and all other clothing stays on," she stated. Christian blinked for a moment, confused, before getting she was implying that she intended to stay. He smiled.

"Okay," he said.

"And in place," she amended. "No roaming hands finding loopholes to the rule or anything," she said, pointing a finger at him.

"Do I need to keep a safe distance away too?" He smirked. Mia gave him a playful glare.

"Careful. I just might make that a rule as well." She replied. Christian smiled.

"I'll behave," he said. He reached over and unclipped the chin strap of her helmet before lifting it off her head.

"You better," Mia replied as she dismounted the bike and let it fall on its side again. Christian set the helmet down on the discarded bike before taking her in his arm and kissing her.

"This isn't breaking any rules, is it?" He asked.

"Not yet." She teased, laughing slightly. Christian smiled.

"Good," he said. He pulled away and took her hand in his, leading her back to the blanket. He paused and looked back at her. "And this?" He asked earnestly. Mia blushed.

"I'll give you a warning when you start getting dangerously close to breaking any rules," she assured him. Christian grinned.

"Good." He replied. He pulled her closer and kissed her again as they slowly moved down until they were sitting on the blanket. Once they were back on the blanket, Christian kissed her with earnest for a moment before he pulled away. "Just so you know," he said. "What I said…..I don't expect you to say it back," he said. Mia blinked, confusion clouding her features for a second before she realized what he meant.

"Well," she said, giving him a small smile. "You didn't actually say it, I assumed it and you affirmed it," she said. Christian nodded.

"Yeah," he said. He looked down for a moment. Mia reached over and gently stroked his face.

"You don't have to actually say it," she said. She could see by his current demeanor that though veiling implying it, saying the actual words wasn't something he could do easily. Given whatever had happened to him in his past, she wasn't all that surprised. She bit her lip for a moment. "I think….it might be better if you didn't," she added. Christian gave her a hurt and confused look. Mia winced at how that must've sounded. "No, I don't mean that….Well, just….how about you give me some time to figure out if I'm at the place to say it before you say it?" She asked. She shifted closer to him and gently pressed her lips to his. Christian sighed lightly as she pressed her lips to his.

"Alright, I guess I can do that." He replied. He looked at her for a moment. "Is that you implying that you might feel the same?" He asked. Mia pursed her lips for a moment.

"I can't say," she said. "I mean…..things are happening at warp speed here…..but…I know I feel _something_. Is that okay for now?" She asked unsurely. Christian nodded.

"It's something," he said, smiling gently. "I can live with something," he added in a soft tone as he leaned in and gave her a light kiss.

"Well, that's good," Mia smiled. "I'd hate to think something would kill you," she chuckled. Christian smiled and pulled her close as the two kissed again.


	16. Chapter 16

Kira slowly padded down her stairs before walking through her darkening living room. She and Conner had spent the last few hours in her room kissing, doing what little touching they could without losing themselves too much, and holding each other, quietly relishing in being together after wanting each other all these years. They had heard Ethan, Tommy and Trent return from the ice cream parlor and were glad that their three friends were respectful enough not to disturb them.

The sun had now almost completely set outside her window and the house was quiet. Trent and Tommy were upstairs napping in their respective guest rooms and Conner was still in the nap he and Kira had settled into while in one another's arms. That left only Ethan, which Kira knew she'd find downstairs in her basement/lab. She continued to walk through the darkened house before opening the door to her basement and walking down. She found Ethan right where she suspected he'd be—Sitting with his back to her, his eyes fixed on the main computer.

"You're going to tire your eyes out," she playfully warned, causing Ethan to jump a bit and swirl around to face her, rubbing his eyes a bit.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey." She replied walking towards him. "Have you been down here since you guys got back from the ice cream parlor?" She asked. Ethan gave her a sheepish look, which was all the answer she needed. She sighed and shook her head at her dear friend. "You're a fanatic," she chuckled.

"Hey, someone's gotta do all this work." He replied.

"Gee, thanks for implying I'm a slacker," she said, sticking her tongue out at him. Ethan rolled his eyes and laughed.

"Kir, you're not going to be able to handle all this, plus being a ranger... I'm trying to lighten your load." He replied. He turned back to the computer and let his fingers tap away at the keyboard. Kira smiled and came up behind him, putting her arms around his shoulders in a friendly manner.

"Thanks, Ethe," she said. "I get you're helping me out, but that doesn't mean you need to tire yourself out or anything," she said. Ethan smiled as he continued to plug away at the program.

"It's not a big deal." He replied. Kira sighed and stood up straight as she put her hand on the back of the chair and swirled it back around, tearing Ethan from the computer and making him face her.

"It is," she said. She gave him a half smile. "What use will you be if you fry out your brain from exhaustion?" She asked. Ethan chuckled. "Take a break, for me?" She requested. She then gave a small shrug. "Besides, we really haven't had a chance to talk since you got here." Ethan grinned.

"That's not my fault." He replied. "Your lips have been attached to Conner's since we got here." He teased. Kira's cheeks blushed a deep crimson. "So," Ethan grinned. "Did you tire our dear friend Conner out?" He asked. Kira's jaw fell open before she smacked his arm.

"Ethan!" She exclaimed in a scandalized yet also amused tone. Ethan's smile only grew in size.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Not that it's any of your business," Kira said, throwing him a playful glare, "but Conner and I are taking things slow."

"Slow?" Ethan asked. "What? Going at it at a snail's pace instead of going at it like bunnies?" He teased.

"Ethan," she said in a similar tone as before as she smacked his arm again. "We don't want to rush into anything we might not be ready for," she said. Ethan quirked an eyebrow at her before giving a look around the room.

"I'm sorry, did we just magically transport back to 2004 or something?" He asked. He looked at Kira. "You do realize you've both been of the non-virgin club for about a decade, right?" He asked. Kira rolled her eyes.

"Thanks for the update," she said dryly. "I don't mean it like that….just that….we've been friends for a long time, we need to be ready before we go past any boundaries."

"You mean the boundaries you crossed by making out for hours?" Ethan asked knowingly.

"There are boundaries and then there are _boundaries_," she replied.

"And those _boundaries_ are?" He questioned. Kira sighed.

"When we go there, things will change," she said.

"Newsflash Kira, things have already changed," Ethan pointed out. "You two weren't off making out in your room a week ago, now were you?" He asked.

"But it'd be a huge change," Kira argued. Ethan shrugged.

"Yeah, and?" He asked. "It just seems to me that this is something you've both wanted for a long time, why not just dive right in?"

"It's because we've wanted it for so long that we need to take a delicate approach," Kira replied.

"Why though?" He pressed. "I just don't see the huge issue in it."

"Well, wasn't it a huge issue the first time you and Shelly 'dived right in'?" She asked. "I seem to recall a certain someone fretting to me over phone and email about going there with his former chem lab partner turned girlfriend." Ethan felt the blush climbing up his neck and into his cheeks.

"That's different." He replied sourly. "It was my first time," he said.

"Was not," Kira snorted. Ethan rolled his eyes.

"It was my first time since Angela on prom night," he amended. "I'm thinking three years counts a re-virginization," he muttered. Kira chuckled.

"Huh, guess I can't call myself a member of the non-virgins club, following that logic," she teased. Ethan shot her another glare.

"Besides," he said, "I was just crushing on Shell for a semester or two. You and Conner have the whole prolonged desire thing going for you. I'd have thought you guys would've locked yourselves in your room and went at it nonstop until the need for food or water became imperative." Kira kicked Ethan's leg.

"Sometimes I wonder how you managed to land Shelly." Ethan laughed.

"So do I," he chuckled. Kira rolled her eyes.

"Look, Conner and I…..it's huge," she said in an earnest tone. "And I know I'm just….so blown away by the simple fact that he's wanted me as much as I've wanted him all these years….I just wanted to…….I don't know….take things at a leisure pace………make sure this is all really happening, I guess," she shrugged.

"Make sure that it's just not a dream?" Ethan offered. Kira nodded. Ethan smiled. "Kir, if this was really a dream why would your subconscious feature the rest of us as costars, not to mention our new evil friend?" He asked. Kira rolled her eyes.

"Okay, yes, logically I know this is all really happening….It's just…." She looked down as a blush rose to her cheeks. "It's good…..really good…..and kind of surreal," she admitted softly.

"Kir, as the one subjected to listen to both of you pinning for each other over the years, I can vouch for the realism here," Ethan said. Kira sighed as she sank down to the ground and stretched her legs out in front of her. Ethan slid off the chair and moved to sit across from her on the floor.

"It's….like Conner and me going there…..it's this door. I want to go and rip it wide open and step on through…..but I'm…..I guess I'm afraid what's behind the door. What happens after we go there," she admitted.

"What do you think is beyond the door?" Ethan asked. Kira shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess I'm afraid that….because we've been friends so long, things will be awkward," she said.

"Well, was kissing him awkward?" Ethan asked. Kira shook her head. "So why would anything else be?" Kira shrugged.

"I don't know…Because it's…..bigger," she said. She gave a soft chuckle and shook her head. "I know, it's weird…I mean, we did some-"

"Kira, because I'm both of your friend and love you both dearly, please spare me the details," Ethan teased.

"This coming from the person who asked if I tired Conner out?" Kira smirked. Ethan laughed.

"There are some details I need to know, and others that I don't." He replied.

"I really don't believe there's any details you _need _to know," Kira chuckled. Ethan chuckled.

"Well, true." He replied. Kira chuckled and shook her head. Ethan reached over and placed a hand on her arm. "Look, I can get that this might be weird, maybe even a little scary. Just, do me a favor and don't let that keep you from doing what you want to do, whatever it may be." Kira sighed.

"That's easier said than done." She replied.

"So you'd rather let fear control you and stop you from being happy with Conner than try and see what happens?" Ethan asked. "You've done the without Conner thing for ten years…..We've seen what happens with that, how about you try something new?" He asked with a smile. Kira just sighed in reply.

"It's not like I don't want to be with him," Kira said. "The stuff we did do……..it felt natural, good……….God, we actually had to force ourselves to stop and keep from going too far," she said, shaking her head. Ethan fixed her with an amused yet warm look.

"Kira, if you have to force yourself to stop….maybe you're not supposed to. You said it felt natural, so why stop what's natural?" He asked. Kira was silent for a moment.

"I don't want to feel cheap." She replied, her head dropping a little. Ethan blinked and sighed, shaking his head.

"Oh, Kir," he said gently, moving over so he was now sitting beside her and putting an arm around her shoulders. "Conner loves you, he really really honest to god, if I had to hear one more time how wonderful you are I'd wring his scrawny jock neck, loves you," Ethan said, giving her a gentle squeeze. "The guy would cut off his own foot or something before ever making you feel cheap or otherwise less than the apparent love goddess he sees you as," he smiled a gentle teasing tone in his tone. Kira smiled and leaned her head against Ethan's.

"I know that." She replied, sighing a little.

"So then why do you think you'd feel cheap?" He asked.

"Because that's what it was like for some of the girls he was with...And I'm not like them." She replied quietly. Ethan sighed.

"I can't accurately vouch for what the girls in the past were to him, but I do know that whatever it was, you meant at least ten times more to him. You're right; you're not like those girls. You're you. And you want to know how else you're not like them? Conner loves you; he never loved any of them." Kira sighed.

"He loved Krista." She muttered.

"No, he didn't," Ethan replied.

"Maybe not in the same way that he loved me, but he did _love_ her Ethan." Kira snapped. Ethan sighed and gave her another gentle squeeze.

"He loved her like any other confused, unsure, naïve high school boy loves a high school girl. Probably just the same way you loved Trent," Ethan said. Kira didn't reply. Instead, she dropped her head even more and played with a loose hem on her shirt. "You were the one who was truly in his heart back then, now and all the time in between," Ethan gently told her. "Don't let whatever other girls he tried to distract himself from you with make you think otherwise," he concluded. Kira sighed again.

"I'd still feel cheap if I slept with him right now." She confessed. Ethan gave a small nod. As much as he didn't think it was right for her to feel that way and have doubts about Conner, arguing with her about it would only make her feel worse, and it already felt like they were just spinning their wheels.

"Okay," he said. "Then wait. Just don't let your doubts about the past or the future hold you back. If you want to wait for your own reasons, that's one thing. But don't wait because you think Conner would see you as anything less than the love of his life." Kira smiled and put her arms around Ethan, giving him a hug.

"Thanks." She replied.

"Anytime," Ethan smiled. The two were silent for some time. "So," Ethan said, "was this enough of a break to satisfy your need for me not to fry my brain?" He said, joking to break the silence. Kira rolled her eyes.

"Um, no." She replied.

"Aw, damn," Ethan chuckled. Kira laughed before standing up.

"Come on, I'll order dinner and we'll go have a drink on the patio...Sound good?" She stretched her hand down to him.

"Yeah, sounds good," Ethan said as he took her hand and let her pull him up to his feet. "Chinese or Pizza?" She questioned. Ethan shot her a glance.

"Dumb question." He replied teasingly. Kira laughed.

"Fine, Chinese it is."

"Good answer," Ethan chuckled. Kira continued to laugh as they headed upstairs.

"I'll order, you grab the drinks and I'll meet you on the patio?" She questioned.

"Sounds like a plan," Ethan nodded. Kira grinned as she grabbed the phone out of its cradle and began dialing the familiar number to the local Chinese restaurant. It was tradition when Ethan came to visit that they would always order from the same place and have a few drinks outside while they enjoyed their meals. It was such a usual occurrence that the owners of the restaurant knew their order right away—one order of beef and broccoli for Ethan, and order of shrimp with cashew nuts for Kira, and an order of steamed dumplings the two shared. This time though, Kira added a few orders for her added guests in case they were hungry when they awoke. After a few moments on the phone, Kira thanked the owner she'd been speaking with and put the phone back in its cradle. She grabbed a few plates and headed outside.

"Foods been ordered." She commented, setting the plates down and climbing into her favorite chair. Ethan nodded and picked up the bottle of red wine he'd gotten from Kira's kitchen along with one of the glasses he'd grabbed as well. He poured some wine into the glass before handing it over to Kira. "Thanks," she said, taking a slow sip. Ethan nodded again and poured himself a glass. Kira sighed softly as she snuggled into the chair. She'd purchased an amazing patio set shortly after moving to Destruction Bay, knowing that she'd spend a decent amount of time out here both during the school year and during the summer months. The large patio chairs had been extremely comfortable and very relaxing, which Kira appreciated. "I ordered some extra food just in case the guys wake up hungry," she said.

"Well, even more food for us if they don't wake up," Ethan laughed as he sat down on one of the patio chairs beside her and sipped from his glass. Kira chuckled.

"It'd be their own faults." She replied, taking another sip. Ethan chuckled. They fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Ethan spoke.

"I always forget how beautiful the view is off your patio." Kira smiled, nodding.

"Yeah, I really lucked out in finding this place when I moved here," she mused gently. "That you did...I wondered the first time that I was here if Dr. O had possessed your body when you bought this place." Ethan joked. Kira laughed.

"Well….yes and no, I guess," she said, shrugging a bit as she took another sip from her glass. "I mean it wasn't so much that I was channeling Dr. Oliver……..just…His place, the walls had a lot of great memories, we all had a lot of great times there…..Nostalgia just hit me like a ton of bricks when the real estate agent brought me here, and I knew I had to have it." Ethan smiled.

"You made a great choice." He commented, Kira nodded in reply. They fell back into a comfortable silence for a while before the screen door opened. Both Kira and Ethan turned as Conner stepped outside, rubbing his eyes.

"I was wondering where you two had gone." He murmured as he walked over to the table and took the seat next to Kira.

"Hey man," Ethan said. "Want some wine? I can go get another glass," he said.

"Red wine gives him headaches," Kira stated in a tone that said it was an obvious fact. Ethan blinked and looked at her.

"Someone using her powers to read new boyfriend's mind?" Ethan teased. Kira blushed and looked down at her glass.

"No," she muttered. "Don't you remember at Dr. Oliver's wedding, he drank that glass of wine and was just unbelievably miserable for the rest of the reception?" She asked.

"I can't believe you remember that," Conner said. Kira shrugged.

"I remember the small details." She replied honestly. "There's beer in the fridge if you want." She offered. Conner gave her a small smile before nodding.

"Yeah, thanks," he said.

"I'll get it," Ethan announced as he got up from his chair before Conner had a chance to move.

"Oh, thanks man," Conner said. Ethan nodded and walked back into the house, smiling to himself as he cast a look at the couple. He planned on taking his time getting that beer. Kira shot a playful glare at Ethan as he left. She turned back to Conner and smiled.

"How'd you sleep?" She asked. Conner shrugged before nonchalantly shifting his chair a little closer to Kira.

"Alright," he said. "Was having a pretty good sleep but then something kind of bad happened," he said, casting a look to the horizon.

"Oh?" Kira asked. "What's that?"

"You weren't there when I woke up," Conner said, looking back at her with a half smile. Kira rolled her eyes and blushed slightly.

"I woke up and just couldn't get back to sleep... I didn't think it was fair to you for me to be completely restless and wake you up too." She confessed. Conner's smile only grew as he leaned in a little closer to her.

"Well, for future reference, I don't mind being woken up by you," he said. "As long as it's not with another hit to the eye like this morning," he chuckled. Kira groaned in response.

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?" She questioned. Conner chuckled again.

"While I'm around? Nope….so yeah, I guess never is the right way to look at it," he said. Kira blushed again.

"No fair." She replied. Conner smiled and ran a hand up her leg.

"Nothing in life in fair." He replied. Kira bit her lip and leaned closer to him.

"Oh really?" She asked.

"Yes really." He replied as he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. Kira placed a hand on his lap as she kissed him back, careful not to spill the wine glass she held in her other hand on him or her furniture. The two remained with their lips locked together for a moment before the sound of the doorbell broke their thoughts and actions.

"I've got it!" Ethan's voice rang out from inside the house. Kira blinked as she pulled away from Conner.

"I really don't think that he'd pass for me, since it's on my credit card." She muttered. Conner groaned, pouting a bit.

"Do you have to get up?" He asked. Kira looked back at him and smiled before placing a quick kiss on his pouting lips.

"I'll be back before you have a chance to miss me," she said.

"But I already miss you." He whined as she placed her glass down and headed back towards the door. Kira turned around and gave him a wink.

"Be right back, promise." She replied, stepping into the house. True to her word, she returned a few moments later with bags of food in her arms. Ethan appeared behind her, carrying what looked like a small cooler. Conner shot him a curious glance as Ethan put it down.

"I figured it would save us time from going back into the house all the time," he explained. Conner chuckled as Kira set the bags of food on the patio table.

"No wonder you're the genius of our group," Conner commented. Ethan laughed.

"Oh yes, who cares about my computer skills….I brought out a cooler, that's what gives me my genius status."

"Of course your computer skills matter... It's just that the cooler has the booze, so your perceptiveness level and therefore genius level increases when Conner's around." Kira teased. Conner chuckled and flipped open the cooler, pulling out a bottle of beer.

"Yeah, what she said," he replied as he popped the bottle open. Ethan rolled his eyes.

"You two are both insane...Let's eat." He joked. Kira nodded her agreement and began pulling out the food from the bags. "Jesus." Conner whispered as she kept pulling more and more food out. "Are you feeding an army?" Kira looked down at all the containers she'd set out and shrugged.

"Wasn't sure what you, Tommy and Trent would be in the mood for so got a few choices," she said.

"And then some." Ethan replied as he grabbed his container of beef and broccoli. Kira slid a plate and fork over to him so he could serve himself as she looked over at Conner, gesturing to the remaining choices as she grabbed her order of shrimp with cashew nuts.

"Go ahead and pick something," she said.

"Uh...The box with the green lid." He commented. Kira grinned.

"Chicken chop suey?" She asked. She nodded. "Wise selection," she said as she handed him the container in question. "The chop suey from this place is pretty tasty."

"Awesome." Conner replied as he popped the lid off and grabbed a fork, portioning out his food. Kira smiled and served herself some of her food before closing the lid back up on the container and settling back down in her chair, the plate balanced on one hand and her wine glass in the other. She settled into her chair, crossing her legs on the chair and placing the plate on her lap. She set her glass on the table momentarily as she quickly tied her hair up, using the elastic around her wrist. She grabbed her glass and took another sip of wine before scooping up some of her food and slowly eating it. Conner and Ethan finished filling their own plates and took their seats. The three friends, three original dino rangers, sat and ate together. They ate in silence for a little while before Ethan spoke.

"Kira, the reason why I was so focused this afternoon is because I'm trying to make sure that the toys that I've created for your team are actually going to work. I need to figure that out before I head back home." He confessed. Kira looked at him, stopping in the middle of chewing a mouthful of food. She blinked and daintily covered her mouth before speaking.

"And what sort of toys would that be?" She asked before swallowing her food. Ethan grinned.

"Fancy ones." He replied.

"That's informative," Conner chortled. Ethan chuckled.

"I'd rather wait 'till they're all done to go into too much detail," Ethan said.

"Do you need any help?" Kira asked, taking a sip of wine.

"Sure, I guess help would be nice…..But it's bigger than you guys can handle. Unless someone feels like calling Hayley in, I really don't see how anyone can help," Ethan said. "No offense." Kira shrugged.

"None taken," she said. "Anyway, I wasn't suggesting I help, but Nathan's a pretty smart kid, maybe he could be of some service," Kira shrugged.

"Already forcing the newbies into slave labor eh?" Ethan laughed. Kira chuckled.

"Sure, why not," she said with a playful shrug before continuing to eat a bit. "If it'll get you to not wear yourself out, definitely," she said, giving her friend a smile. Ethan smiled.

"I make no promises...But I can try." he replied. Kira smiled.

"Fine, I guess I can live with that." She replied as she took another sip of her wine. Ethan nodded and ate some more before speaking again.

"When you say the kid's pretty smart, how so?" Ethan asked.

"He won the grade specific science fairs the last three years and this year won the school wide and district wide fairs," she informed. "According to the guidance counselor, MIT's already trying to entice him and his family even though he doesn't graduate for another year." Conner laughed.

"He sounds like the next Ethan James."

"Guess he's pretty bright," Ethan mused. Kira nodded..

"One of the brightest in the school." She mused.

"What about the rest of your team?" Conner questioned as he took a swig of his beer.

"There all pretty good kids," Kira said. "Sure, Christian has his…..antagonistic moments, and can be a bit of a jerk, but," she shrugged, "something tells me that's more of a front."

"What makes you say that?" Ethan questioned.

"I really can't say," Kira said. "Just a feeling really. Plus the fact that, well, from what I gather of yesterday when he and Nathan got added into all of this…..Christian showed up after Vengakix attacked the other three. He could've kept on going and not gotten involved but he didn't. If he really was as mean and uncaring as he tries to play himself off to be, he wouldn't have swooped in to help the other yesterday, or burned Vengakix's whip and helped Andy earlier today." Conner nodded as he took another swig of beer.

"Good point." He replied.

"What about Mia?" Ethan questioned.

"Mia is probably one of the best students I've had since I started teaching." Kira replied.

"Makes sense," Conner said around a mouthful of food. "She's a lot like you were back in high school," Conner observed.

"Now that you mention it, I do see the similar personalities," Ethan nodded. "So, let me guess, she just happens to also be an amazing guitar playing singer/song writier too," Ethan assumed, giving Kira a wink.

"Show's what you know," Kira chuckled. "She plays piano." Ethan rolled his eyes.

"Oh I'm sorry, yes you're polar opposites," he laughed. Kira chuckled as she took another sip of her wine.

"Well, maybe not polar opposites...But she's a lot more outgoing than I was." She ate a little before going on. "Her family owns the diner in the center of town, it's a pretty big hotspot so the kids are pretty well known all around. They're like the staples of Destruction Bay. Her older siblings have always had a lock on the valedictorian spot come graduation," she chuckled a bit. "Back when she was a freshman and the twins Eddie and Ricky were seniors, it was the first time our school ever had two valedictorians since there was no way to pick between the two." Ethan and Conner chuckled.

"I take it it'll be a close race come next year between her and Nathan, then?" Ethan asked.

"Pretty close," Kira said, "but not too close. As much as Mia's an excellent student, Nathan has a little bit more of a push in the math and sciences."

"Ouch," Conner said. "That might be tough on her; given all her siblings have done it. Kind of like she'd be the black sheep." Kira shrugged.

"I don't think that sort of thing is her bag though," she said. "And I don't think her parents will be that hard on her about it. From what I've seen of them, they're nothing but encouraging to the kids."

"Well that's good," Ethan said.

"Yeah, I think they're all for excellency though," Kira chuckled. "If they can't push Harvard down Mia's throat, they'll settle for Julliard." Ethan and Conner laughed.

"Well, at any rate, at least one Ranger will get to Julliard." Ethan commented. Kira sighed softly. When they'd still be in high school, she had, under the force of her friends, applied to Julliard and been accepted. Much to the protests of those who'd told her to apply, Kira turned down the acceptance to the prestigious school. As much as going to a school like Julliard would be a dream come true, it all felt too overwhelming and she knew that the school was nothing but competitive, she didn't think she could take all that stress, especially after still recovering from the stress of being a ranger. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Kira looked at her nearly empty glass.

"I'm gonna get more wine...Do you want more Ethan?" She questioned, standing up and heading towards the door inside. Ethan nodded as he finished the last of his wine.

"Yeah, sure," Ethan said. Kira nodded and disappeared inside the house. Conner took a swig of his beer and froze as something caught his eye.

"Uh, wait, isn't that the bottle of wine right there by your chair?" He said. Ethan blinked and looked down, seeing that yes, the bottle was on the ground where he had set it after filling his and Kira's glasses earlier.

"Huh...I wonder why she went into the house then." Ethan commented as he picked the bottle up. Conner shot him a glance.

"Maybe it was something to do with the Julliard comment." He replied non-chanlantly. Ethan frowned and looked at him.

"You think so?" He asked, worried he'd offended Kira. Conner shrugged.

"I'm not sure to be honest. All I remember is that she was upset when we all ganged up on her because she wouldn't go." Ethan nodded.

"I remember...But come on Conner; you have to admit that it wasn't one of her brighter moves to decide not to go." Conner shrugged again.

"Maybe," he said. "But for whatever reason she chose not to go, I'm sure it was a good one. Maybe if she had gone she'd have burned herself out or something," he said shrugging yet again.

"Yeah, I guess so." Ethan replied.

"Either way, she seems pretty happy the way she's made her life turn out, and isn't that the most important thing?" Conner asked.

"Of course it is," Ethan replied.

"Then what's the point in trying to make comments about things that we should have let go?" Conner questioned. Ethan sighed.

"Okay, I get it, I'm a bad friend for going there," he said, hanging his head a bit.

"I never said that you were a bad friend Ethe." Conner replied, taking a swig of his beer. "It's just that you know that it's still a really sore spot for Kira." Ethan sighed.

"I know...I guess I just spoke before thinking." Ethan replied. He gave a wry smile. "I guess all that time sitting in front of Kir's computer really did fry my brain." Conner laughed.

"I think you're right." He replied.

Inside, Kira opened the fridge door with a little more force than necessary, tears stinging the back of her eyes. She felt stupid for feeling this way. Ethan meant nothing by his comment. That time had come and gone long ago, and there was nothing she could do to change it. She sighed inwardly when she remembered that the bottle of wine she was looking for, had been left outside. Running her hands over her face, she opened the cupboard and grabbed a glass. She turned the water on and waited until the glass was filled before she took a sip, the cool liquid sliding down her throat. She stood against her counter, slowly sipping the water, until the glass was empty. She set the glass in her sink and took a deep breath, willing the threatening tears away. After a few minutes she was able to regain control of her feelings and took a deep breath, running a hand through her hair before going back outside. Conner and Ethan both looked up to her as she wordlessly took her seat beside Conner and went back to eating her meal. Conner and Ethan shared a look, unsure what to say.

"Kir," Ethan said after a long minute. "I…I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said…" Kira sighed and shook her head.

"It's okay," she said.

"No, it's not," Ethan insisted. "That was me being very much a jerk, and I'm sorry." Kira shrugged.

"It's in the past Ethe; you don't owe me an apology for it." She replied.

"I shouldn't have brought it up," Ethan replied. Kira gave him a small smile.

"Okay Ethan, enough with the self flagellation," she said. "Let's just forget it, okay?" She said.

"If you're sure." He replied cautiously. Kira nodded.

"Yeah," she said.

"Okay," he said. Kira shoveled the last bit of food from her plate into her mouth before placing her plate on the table and leaning over Conner to reach the cooler. She flipped open the lid and pulled out a bottle of beer.

"Done with the wine, I see," Conner commented as she sat back. Kira smiled.

"Yup," she said, popping the cap off and taking a long swig. Ethan looked at her.

"I thought you didn't like beer..." He trailed off.

"No, I just don't like the beer you usually get," she replied with a smirk.

"Hey, there is nothing wrong with Pabst." Ethan replied teasingly. Conner shot him a look.

"No there isn't...if you're over the age of 60." Kira giggled and took another swig of beer.

"I know, every time I've tried it I can't help wonder hey, who let the beer get stale?" She asked. Ethan rolled his eyes.

"It's got a rich flavor. Apparently you two just aren't refined enough for it," he said. Kira snorted, causing her to cough as the swig she'd been taking threatened to come out her nose. Conner looked at her and reached over, gently rubbing her back.

"You okay?" He asked softly. Kira looked at him and nodded.

"Yeah, beer just went down the wrong way," she replied. Conner nodded but kept his hand on her back. Ethan smiled at the two.

"Well," he announced, causing the two to look at him. "I think I'm just going to head off to bed. All that work seems to have tuckered me out."

"Uh huh, sure Ethan." Kira just rolled her eyes. Ethan smiled and took the extra food containers, as well as their leftovers and put them in the bag they'd all come in.

"I'll put this in the fridge on my way to bed," he said before picking up the bag with one hand and the bottle of wine with the other. "G'night guys," he said as he made his way back to the house.

"Good night," Kira and Conner replied. Ethan disappeared inside, leaving Kira and Conner alone.

"You do realize he so totally planned to leave us alone like that, right?" Kira asked with a small giggle. Conner chuckled.

"Gee, really?" He asked. He gave her a thoughtful look. "So, are you really okay?" He asked. Kira nodded.

"Uh huh, beer's all going down the right way now," she chuckled. Conner shook his head.

"You know what I'm talking about," Conner replied gently. Kira sighed.

"It just struck a nerve." She replied. Conner nodded.

"Yeah," he mused. "Do you ever regret not going to Julliard?" Conner asked. Kira tilted her head a bit as she thought about his question.

"Not really," she said. "But I think about it a lot, wonder how my life would've been if I had," she replied.

"Playing the what-if game." Conner mused. Kira nodded.

"It's a total Sliding Doors moment," she chuckled. Conner gave her a confused look.

"A what moment?" He asked. Kira blinked.

"Sliding Doors……it's a movie," she explained. Conner still stared at her blankly. Kira chuckled. "It's basically about the different ways this woman's life goes all depending on whether or not she catches the train home. Like two stories going at the same time—In one, she misses the train and has to take a cab and gets mugged, having to get home late and works her ass off to support her cheating boyfriend. In the story going on at the same time, she catches the train, gets home to catch her boyfriend cheating on her, leaves him and meets a much better guy."

"I see," Conner said, still somewhat confused. Kira chuckled as she ruffled his hair. Conner laughed and ducked his head away before reaching over and tickling her side. Kira giggled as she grabbed his hand and intertwined her fingers in his. She took a swig of her beer before she sighed contently.

"Happy?" Conner asked. Kira smiled.

"Yeah," she said. Conner grinned and leaned closer to her, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Good," he said.

"Yes, yes it is." She replied, leaning back in her chair. Conner released her hand and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. Kira smiled and cuddled close to him, laying her head against his chest.

"You know," Conner mused after a moment. "I just realized this whole time I've been here, I've yet to set up in one of the guest rooms," he chuckled. Kira shot a glance upwards at him.

"And you just figured that out now?" She questioned.

"I just mean, that….do you want me to?" He asked. Kira blinked.

"Conner, I…" Kira began. Conner shook his head.

"I'm not pushing you," he said. "We've already had that conversation and its best if we wait," he nodded, affirming his agreement with their decision. "I just mean that…well, we've fallen asleep together twice already and, I don't know about you but for me, it felt right. I don't think I've slept better before in my life," he admitted. Kira smiled softly.

"Likewise." She replied gently. Conner smiled and placed another kiss on her forehead. Kira sighed. "But, don't you think….if you're saying what I think you're saying and we share my room….it'll just make going….there….all the more hard to resist?" She asked. Conner shrugged.

"Maybe...But I think we'll be able to resist it." He replied honestly. Kira chortled.

"Oh, so I'm easy to resist?" She teased. Conner lowered his head and captured her lips in a heated kiss.

"Not at all," he whispered after the kiss ended. Kira bit her lip, blushing lightly. "But if the choice is between having to resist even more temptation or not getting to fall asleep next to you, I can do some resisting," he smiled. Kira smiled a moment before she nodded.

"Ok." She replied. She nestled deeper in his embrace. "In that case, you don't need to set up in one of the guest rooms," she said. Conner grinned and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"Alright then," he said.

--

Mia's eyes slowly opened as the sound of chirping birds and the shine of the rising sun eased her out of slumber. She looked over to see Christian still sleeping peacefully. She smiled at how sweet and peaceful he looked as he slept. After the two had sort of made up after their misunderstanding, they spent the rest of the night kissing and holding one another. They had been so comfortable in each other's arms; Mia didn't even let him get up to snuff out the candles when they began to drift off to sleep. She simply held out her hand and used her powers to blow them out. Christian had chuckled and made a comment about how their powers seemed to compliment each other's nicely.

Mia smiled and placed a soft kiss on his cheek, careful not to wake him. She slowly shifted out of his embrace and looked around, scratching the side of her head as sleep left her. She sat up and looked at her watch, seeing it was 6:15. She frowned a bit. A part of her felt that she should be freaking out and trying to rush home before her parents realized she had been out all night, but at the same time, she couldn't make herself want to leave just yet. She looked back at Christian, pulling her knees up to her chest as she continued to watch him sleep. As she observed how his eyelashes lightly rested on his cheeks and his chest slowly rose and fell with each breath he took, she couldn't help thinking yet again at how much things had changed in just a day.

At the start of the previous day, she saw Christian as a smart mouthed, sour attitude possessing pain in the ass. Yes she, as any other heterosexual girl would, did notice how attractive he was but most of her encounters with him before two days ago always left her glaring at him with disdain and anger. Yet something happened the previous day in all their dealing with becoming rangers. Some window of emotions opened up inside her and for the life of her she couldn't pinpoint when or how exactly it happened. She wondered if it started after he saved Andy from being strangled by Vengakix's whip. Did the stirrings of emerging feelings start then, only to be fueled by accepting the ride on his motorcycle? Or was it even before then? She remembered feeling something when he stumbled into her after getting his coin. He seemed so vulnerable in his dizziness, his walls were down and having her arms around him as he waited for his head to clear, she could feel something. She had no idea what that was in that moment, and she still didn't fully understand it.

"You look deep in thought." Came Christian's soft voice, startling Mia from her thoughts.

"Hey," she replied, giving him a small smile. "Didn't know you were awake," she commented. Christian smiled as he stretched his body out.

"Just woke up." He replied, pushing himself up onto his elbows. Mia nodded. She looked down, suddenly remembering that she had woken up not too long ago and must've not been looking her best. She self-consciously ran a hand over her head, trying to smooth down any bed head she had become afflicted with. Christian grabbed her wrist.

"Don't do that...You look even more beautiful with your hair messy." He told her. Mia blinked as an intense blush crept up her face and her heart rammed in her chest.

"Oh," she breathed out, her voice a little shaky. "Um, okay," she added, looking away bashfully. Christian grinned as he sat up and pulled Mia closer to him. He enveloped her in his arms as she ducked her head under his chin.

"Good morning." He murmured as his arms tightened around her. Mia smiled.

"Good morning," she replied. "It might be my last morning alive if my parents find out I've been gone all night," she said with a slight chuckle. Christian chuckled.

"Well in that case, it was a perfect night and an amazing morning…But maybe we should get you home." Mia bit her lip and wrapped her arms around him.

"Is it weird that….I don't want to go?" She admitted softly. Christian grinned.

"No," he replied. "Not at all." Mia sighed.

"But I should go," she muttered glumly. Christian sighed.

"I don't want you to...But okay." He replied softly. Mia sighed and slowly moved out of his embrace. She went to get up before looking at him closely.

"Did you mean what you said yesterday…about……keeping things secretive?" She asked. Christian looked at her.

"Of course...Until _you're_ ready to say anything, I'll keep my mouth shut." He replied. He shrugged. "I mean, sure I don't like the idea about being your dirty little secret-"

"Chris, no, I-"

"But," Christian continued, "it's either that or nothing." He gave her a small smile. "And as you remember, I do prefer something over nothing," he said. Mia smiled.

"Andy will come around," she promised. "And then everything will be better." Christian nodded. Though he hated the fact that Andy seemed to be dictating their burgeoning relationship and he wished Mia would just stand up to him, he knew that was something she wasn't ready for yet. He didn't want to push her like Andy had the day before. Mostly because there was no part of him that wanted to force a choice out of her, but there was also a part of him that feared that if he did make her choose between him and Andy, he'd be faced with the same exact outcome as when Andy had made her choose.

"I know." Christian replied, reassuring her. Mia looked around them.

"Do you want me to help pack all this stuff up?" She asked. Christian shook his head.

"No, don't worry about that. I've got it." He replied.

"Are you sure?" She asked. Christian nodded.

"Yeah," he said.

"Okay," Mia said. "Um, I guess….I'll just…go then," she muttered hesitantly. Christian smiled and quickly leaned in closer to her, his hands going to the sides of her face as he placed a long slow kiss on her lips. Mia closed her eyes and enthusiastically returned the kiss. She sighed a little when Christian pulled away a few moments later. "I can't exactly leave after that," she said softly. Christian chuckled.

"Thought that'd be a proper send off," he replied. "Something to hold you over until the next time we can be alone," he whispered huskily, giving her one more brief kiss.

"Mmmm." Mia replied as he pulled away again. "One more for the road." She whispered softly, pressing her lips against his again. Christian smiled as the kiss ended and placed a kiss on the tip of her nose.

"That enough?" He asked with an amused tone. Mia sighed.

"I guess so." She replied. Christian smiled and stood up, taking her hands in his to help her up to her feet. Once they were both standing, he walked her back over to the bicycle and released her hand before reaching down and standing the bike back up for her and picking up her helmet. He balanced the bike against his hip before turning towards her and placing the helmet on her head, gently snapping the chin strap in place. Mia blushed as he put the helmet on.

"Cheesball." She muttered. Christian grinned.

"Guess so," he replied, placing another kiss on the tip of her nose. Mia giggled and scrunched up her face.

"Mega cheeseball," she teased. Christian laughed.

"Someone has to be." He teased. Mia giggled again and shook her head. She kissed his cheek and mounted the bike, moving it away from his hip.

"I'll call you later okay?" She questioned. Christian nodded.

"Can't wait," he smiled. Mia looked down, blushing a bit.

"Me neither." She replied. She cleared her throat and looked back up at him. "Bye," she said softly.

"Bye," Christian replied. Mia bit her lip and nodded to herself before backing up and turning the bicycle around. She gave one last look back to him before beginning to pedal away. Christian grinned as she pedaled away. He watched her until she was around the corner and headed home before he began to pack up the picnic. His smile never left his face.

--

Mia quickly and carefully pedaled back into town, navigating the empty streets of the early morning as she neared the diner. She slowed the bike to a crawl when she reached the side of the diner and quickly climbed off of it, walking the bike to the back of the building and letting it rest against the brick wall right under her fire escape. She took off the helmet and hung it on the handlebars before jogging up the fire escape, making a mental note to come back out through the back door to bring the bike in later. She snuck through her window and slowly crept over to her closet. Just as she came to a stop before it, her bedroom door swung open, causing her to jump slightly. She turned to see Maria standing in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest. Mia gave her a nervous smile.

"Morning mom," she said. Maria peered at her daughter.

"Uh huh," she said. "Just wake up?" She asked. Mia bit her lip and quickly nodded.

"Yep," she said. "Figured I'd get an early start on the day, help you guys in the diner a bit," she said. Maria nodded.

"I see," she said. She peered at her daughter closely for another minute or so before rolling her eyes. "Mia, don't lie to me," she said sternly. Mia bit her lip, looking down a bit.

"I'm not," Mia said.

"Mia, I came to say goodnight to you last night and you weren't here, and when I came in here just five minutes ago you weren't here. Now, would you like to try your explanation again?" She asked. Mia winced a bit to herself as she tried to think of what to say. "You know the rules," her mother went on. "If you want to stay over at Andy's house, that's fine, but tell me or your father." Mia blinked and looked up at her. "I don't see why you felt you had to sneak out."

"I…….um…" Mia cleared her throat. "You're right, I'm sorry mom," she said.

"I should hope so Miangela...You had me worried." She shook her head. "And that's another thing. If you are going to be silly and sneak out, at least remember to have your cell phone with you. Your father and I pay for it so we can be able to reach you, don't make us waste our money." Mia nodded.

"It won't happen again," she promised.

"Good...Now get to bed, you must be exhausted." Her mother told her. Mia smiled. "I should punish you by making you take the breakfast shift but I don't need you falling asleep while carrying plates out to customers," she went on to grumble.

"Thanks Mom." She replied. Her mother sighed and shook her head as she backed out of the room, pulling the door shut as she left. Mia let out a shaky breath as the door closed. That had been far too close. She sighed and unzipped her sweatshirt, sliding it off her shoulders and moving to put it on the back of her desk chair. As she did this, the strap of her obliterated bra slid down her shoulder. She shook her head and tossed the sweatshirt on the chair, only to have the right half of her bra slip off her arm and fall to the floor. She chuckled a bit to herself as she caught sight of the scorch marks on the garment. She picked up the parts of her bra and tossed them into the garbage. She knew she'd have to do away with them a bit more discretely, much like the shirt with the burnt sleeve from two days ago, which could also be attributed to Christian, so Lucy or her parents didn't see. Having someone ask her why her bra looks like it had been the victim of some tragic flamethrower accident would just be too awkward. Mia shrugged a bit to herself; she figured it could be taken care of later. Though she had a nice sleep with Christian, sleeping on the ground wasn't too comfortable, even with the blanket underneath them and she figured it was best to just take her mother's suggestion and catch a little bit more shut eye. She quickly stepped out of her jeans and grabbed the bottoms she'd be wearing when Christian called. She pulled her hair out of it's ponytail as she made her way over to her comfy bed. She quickly pulled the covers back and slid into her bed, sighing happily as she pulled the covers up to her neck. She settled into bed and shut her eyes, letting the memories from last night lull her back to sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

Mia awoke a few hours later. She sighed and turned in her bed to catch a glimpse of her bedside clock to see it was now close to 10am. Groaning slightly, she stretched her arms out, trying to rid her body of the sleepiness that she'd taken in over the past few hours. She yawned a bit as she pushed her self up into a sitting position, scratching the side of her head. After blinking away the last remaining bits of sleepiness, she threw the covers off her legs and got out of bed. Mia strolled over to her dresser and pulled open the top drawer, grabbing a new bra and a clean pair of panties. She closed the drawer and opened the one below it, grabbing a white tank top. She ran a hand through her hair and could feel the effects of sleeping outdoors in her tresses. Though she and Christian had been on the blanket, she wasn't surprised if some dirt had gotten in there. She walked over to her closet and grabbed a pair of jean shorts before tossing all the clothes she had in her arms on her bed and grabbing her bathrobe from where it hung on her closet door. Making a mental note to change her sheets later, since they probably had some dirt on them, she made her way out of her room to take a shower.

She returned close to fifteen minutes later in her bathrobe hair wrapped up in a towel and her pajamas in her arms. She tossed the discarded clothes into her hamper and changed into the outfit she'd strewn on her bed before pulling the towel off the head and ruffling it through her hair. She tossed the towel and bathrobe on the hamper as she grabbed the comb on her dresser and ran it through her wet locks. She grabbed an elastic band from her dresser and quickly pulled her hair into a ponytail. She gave a quick glance at the mirror affixed upon her dresser before making her way to her beach bag that was still on the floor from the day before. She took out her phone and switched it on to check if she had any messages. She waited as her phone booted up. After a few moments, her main screen came up, and alerted her that she had one missed call, and one voicemail. She pressed a button on her phone to see who the missed call was from and saw the house number.

"Must've been mom," she muttered to herself, remembering that her mother implied she'd tried calling her. She then dialed into her voicemail to hear the message that awaited her.

"Morning Mia." Christian's voice came through her speaker, making Mia smile. "I just wanted to you to know how much I enjoyed last night, and waking up to you today...It was perfect. I'll call you later." Mia blushed at his words and the soft tone he had taken when he brought up waking up with her. Her heart rammed in her chest and she almost hated the fact that the message had ended. She pulled the phone from her ear to play it again when a thump against her window made her jump. Mia gasped and spun around to see Andy climbing in her room.

"Andy! Hey!" She said, her voice high half from surprise and half from the guilt she was trying to hide as she quickly snapped her phone shut.

"Hey yourself!" He replied as he came fully into her room.

"Uh, what's up?" She asked as she nonchalantly placed her phone on her dresser. Andy stood up straight and looked at her, giving her a shrug and a small smile.

"Oh, I need an excuse to see my best friend?" He joked, giving a light chuckle. "Anyway, just wanted to come by and see how you were doing." Mia gave him a small smile.

"Oh, that's….that's really sweet of you, And," she said. "But, I'm fine," she assured him. Andy shrugged her off.

"Sure sure...But I still wanted to come and see you." He replied. Mia smiled.

"Aw," she replied. "Well, you see me, mission accomplished," she joked, giving a small chuckle. Andy just gave her a look as he moved to sit down on her bed. Mia turned to look at him as he moved. "So, aside from having a desire to see little old me, what's up?" She asked as Andy plopped down on her bed. Andy shrugged.

"Wanted to know if you wanted to catch a movie this afternoon, since we didn't last night."

"Sure, sounds good," Mia replied. "I'll have to check downstairs though, make sure I'm not needed to help out or anything." Andy chuckled.

"Since when do you seek out working in the diner?" Andy asked. Mia shrugged.

"Feel bad for not being around to help out the last few days," she replied. Andy rolled his eyes.

"Just use the excuse that we're going to do that 'academic thingy' again." He offered. Mia sighed.

"I'd really would rather not lie more than I have to," she muttered.

"Then I'll tell your mom and dad...They love me." he teased. Mia rolled her eyes.

"They love the fact that a pain in the ass like you isn't one of their own," she teased right back. Andy laughed.

"Maybe so, but they still love me," he grinned. Mia glared at him.

"It's sad that they actually love you more than me at times." She muttered. Andy shook his head.

"Hey now, I wouldn't go that far," he said. "Sure, your mom probably sees me as her fourth son," he said, smiling a bit. "But your still the baby of the family so that gives you some points, especially with your dad, Daddy's Girl," he teased. Mia opened her mouth to reply but was stopped when her cell phone rang. She turned back to her dresser and picked it up, wedging her thumb in it to flick it open. The display read an unrecognized number which caused her to only shrug as she answered the call.

"Hello?" She said.

"Hey there," came Christian's soft voice. Mia's eyes widened as they shot out to Andy who was simply sitting on her bed looking at her. "Mia?" Mia opened her mouth, ready to end the call quickly but realized that would work against her—it would only have Andy ask her what the call was about and possibly offend Christian, and after their ups and downs from the day before, she felt she needed to walk on some eggshells.

"Hey," she said in a neutral tone, afraid any inflection or emotion in her tone would catch Andy's attention.

"So, I was wondering when I could see you again," Christian stated, the smile evident in his tone, causing her to bite her lip slightly as her heart began to pitter patter. Mia blinked and tore her eyes off Andy, clearing her throat before she spoke.

"Oh nothing much," she said casually. "Just hanging out with Andy, how are you doing?"

"Oh...Andy's there." Christian replied, his tone souring noticeably. Mia paced slightly through her room.

"Oh that's cool." She replied, avoiding Andy's gaze.

"Any chance you could get rid of him?" Christian asked. Mia sighed and bit her lip.

"Um no….no….I don't think that'll work….cuz," she replied.

"So I'm your cousin now?" Christian asked as he heaved a sigh. Mia sighed again and nervously paced around the room.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry," she replied. She cast a look over at Andy, who was still looking at her. "Um, listen Veronica-"

"Oh, a female cousin? Thanks," Christian muttered.

"Um how about I give you a call later? I need to run that by Lucy, see if she'll chip in too," she said.

"Whatever Mia, I'll talk to you later," Christian replied, his tone miffed. Mia winced.

"I really am sorry," she said in a sincere whisper. There was a pause on the other end of the line. Mia pursed her lips anxiously as she waited for a response.

"It's fine," Christian replied. "Guess this is something we'll have to get used to, huh?"

"Yeah, looks like it," she replied.

"Give me a call when you can," Christian said, his tone much more understanding. Mia smiled.

"I will," she said. "Thanks for being so cool about it," she said.

"Bye," Christian said before hanging up. Mia sighed and flipped her phone shut.

"What was that all about?" Andy asked. "It sounded major." Mia scratched the back of her neck before looking at him.

"Oh, it was my cousin, Veronica, you remember her, right?" She said flippantly as she walked back over to her dresser. "Anyway, we were planning on buying an anniversary present for our grandparents together and…um…she said that she saw something in the store they might like but it's a tad bit too expensive for me," she went on as she placed the phone back on her dresser. "Told her I'd see if Luce wants to kick in some money too," she concluded before turning back to face him.

"Oh that's cool." Andy replied, buying into the lie. Mia nodded.

"Hey, want to just head out to the movies?" She said hurriedly. She shrugged. "If my folks need me they'll just give me a call, right?"

"Yeah sure, sounds good to me." Andy replied, standing up. Mia nodded.

"K, I'll just grab my purse and meet you outside," she said. Andy nodded and went to her window and climbed out. Mia grabbed her small denim messenger bag and transferred her wallet from her beach bag into it before placing her cell phone in it. She walked over to her closet and pulled out her white Ked sneakers before sitting on her bed and slipping them on. She quickly walked over to the window and climbed out, shutting the window mostly behind her. She turned and went down the fire escape. Once she was down she walked out from around the building where she saw Andy already sitting in his car. Mia walked over to the car and opened the passenger side door before sliding in and pulling the door shut behind her.

"Ready?" Andy asked. Mia nodded as she put her seatbelt on.

"You betcha!" She smiled. Andy returned the smile and turned on the ignition before pulling away and heading towards the multiplex.

--

Christian pulled his bike into Kira's driveway and put the kickstand down. He took his helmet off and tucked it under his arm before climbing off his bike and putting his helmet on the seat. He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he approached the house. He jogged up the porch steps and walked over to the front door, pausing a moment. He wasn't sure why he was there. After he had gotten off the phone with Mia, though he had tried his best to be understanding especially since the two of them had discussed being secretive the night before, he was still left feeling unsure. He didn't know how much being here was going to settle that uncertainty but he figured it was better than simply sitting in his apartment stewing in his own questions. And with that thought, Christian took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Kira had been making herself an early breakfast while everyone was still asleep, turned from her position at the kitchen stove. She wandered to the front door, her sweats licking the top of her bare feet, her yellow tank top tight against her curvy body. She reached the door and pulled it open. She frowned a bit in confusion as she saw who was standing on her porch.

"Christian?" She asked, her puzzlement in her tone.

"Um, hey Kira." He commented. Kira smiled. She was glad to see that her rangers were comfortable enough to refer to her by her first name. She knew from the second the five of them became rangers she didn't want to be like Tommy. As much as they had all worked as a team ten years ago, calling Tommy by his formal title always felt awkward, like he was separate from the team, above them. Referring to him as Dr. Oliver felt normal when he had been just their mentor, but when he became part of the team it felt weird. He was still their teacher but when they all gathered together as ranger it was difficult to see him as their peer. Now that she was older and had her own team, she wanted the teens to feel like she was just like them, no more and no better. Yes she was older than them but that was it. It did help that it was now summer and the teens didn't need to go back and forth to calling her Ms. Ford in school.

"Come in," Kira replied, stepping aside so as to let him walk in.

"Thanks." He replied, smiling and walking in. The two were silent for a moment as Christian took off his shoes and put his jacket on the rack.

"I'm just in the middle of making breakfast...You hungry?" She questioned.

"Um, yeah, sure, thanks," he muttered. Kira nodded and made her way back to the kitchen, motioning for him to follow.

"Where's everyone else?" Christian wondered as he took a seat at the kitchen table. Kira picked up the whisk she had abandoned and returned to briskly stirring the eggs in the mixing bowl before pausing and realizing she probably needed more eggs.

"Oh the guys are still asleep," she said as she opened her refrigerator and retrieved two more eggs.

"Oh." Came the reply. Kira nodded and shut her refrigerator before returning over to the mixing bowl.

"Is scrambled alright?" She asked over her shoulder.

"Uh, yeah that's fine," he said with a small shrug. Kira nodded and cracked the eggs on the rim of the bowl. They fall back into silence as Kira mixed the eggs. As she poured them into the hot skillet, she began to speak.

"So what's up Christian...I know you wouldn't just come by for a social visit." She pointed out. Christian clasped his hands on the table and ran his right thumb over the back of his left palm.

"Uh….just wanted to…..talk, I guess," he mumbled. Kira smiled.

"About anything in particular?" She asked. "Getting a head start on seeking out teachers to write college recommendation letters?" A snort from Christian caused Kira to turn around.

"I'm not exactly college material." He responded bitterly. Kira gave him a careful look.

"What makes you say that?" She asked. "Your grades have never been too bad," she commented, thinking back to the times she'd had him in one of her classes. He wasn't a stellar student like Mia or Nathan, but he'd never failed any of her classes either. He'd been on average a B-/C+ student. And most of what kept him back wasn't a lack of understanding of the material but lack of applying himself. He'd get high marks on his exams but his homework and papers were always handed in late, if handed in at all. Even so, with a good enough SAT score he was bound to get into some school. Maybe nothing prestigious but at the very least a state school. Christian shrugged.

"I can't afford it, and my marks aren't super great, so there goes a scholarship idea." He replied.

"You've got one more year to try to aim for scholarship grades," she pointed out. "And even so, there's always financial aid." Christian just shrugged, signaling that the conversation was over. Kira turned back to the stove, stirring and flipping the eggs with a spatula. "Sorry," she said. "Something tells me you didn't come by to hear me make teacher noises," she chuckled. "So, how about you just tell me what's going on?" Christian was quiet for a few minutes as Kira cooked.

"Girl problems." He grunted after a while. Kira smiled a bit to herself as she turned off the stove as the eggs finished cooking.

"Oh?" She asked as she opened up her cupboard and took out two plates.

"Yeah." Came the forced reply. Kira scooped out half of the eggs onto each plate. She reached into the drawer beside her and pulled out two knives and two forks. She stuck the skillet in the sink, filling it with water to let it soak, before picking up the plates and utensils. She turned to the table and walked over, sliding one plate in front of Christian and sitting down with her own plate.

"Care to elaborate?" She asked. Christian sighed.

"There's this girl." He muttered.

"Figured as much," Kira smiled. "This girl got a name?" She asked.

"Her name's not important," Christian replied as he picked at his eggs with the fork.

"Mia," Kira surmised. Christian froze and looked at her.

"I…no, it's not Mia," he stated. "Anyway, uh….this girl-"

"Mia," Kira cut in.

"It's not Mia," Christian replied. Kira grinned.

"Uh huh, sure," she said. Christian narrowed his eyes at her.

"It's not Mia," he said lowly.

"Need I remind you that I _am_ a telepath?" Kira questioned. Christian grew silent and simply shoveled some food into his mouth. Kira grinned and scooped some eggs into her mouth as well. "Now then," she said after she chewed and swallowed her food. "What is it about Mia you wanted to discuss?" She asked.

"How I can have a decent relationship with her, without dealing with her psycho best friend." Christian muttered, stabbing at his eggs violently. Kira reached over and placed a hand on his, stopping his stabbing.

"Careful," she said, giving him a gentle smile. "These plates were a housewarming gift from my parents, would rather if they weren't cracked," she joked. Christian looked down and simply continued eating. Kira smiled and did the same. "I'm assuming that this desire to have a relationship is one you and Mia share?" She asked.

"Something like that." He replied. Kira nodded.

"So, I'm also assuming that Andy is less than thrilled?" She asked. Christian snorted, shaking his head.

"Yesterday…Mia and I…." He paused a moment. "We were close. We were in her room and Andy, mister was having fun hanging out with his new boyfriend earlier instead of being there for her but then expected her to be free when he was ready to hang out with her, showed up." he muttered bitterly. "They got into a bit of a fight…and Andy made it pretty clear that if I was in the picture, he didn't intend to be." Kira blinked.

"New boyfriend?" She asked, confused.

"Nathan," Christian explained.

"Ah," Kira said, she shook her head. "So…what happened after Andy made his feelings about you and Mia clear?" Kira asked. Christian sighed.

"Mia caved." He replied. Kira gave him a questioning look.

"Meaning…?"

"Well, let's just say that no one could ever accuse her of choosing a boyfriend over a friend," he muttered.

"I see," Kira said. "I'm sorry to hear that," she said. Christian shrugged.

"We talked later….I called her and...She felt bad about what happened," he said. "I'd never had someone actually….feel remorse for hurting me before," he muttered. Kira peered at him. She contemplated skimming his mind to see what was behind that statement but decided it was best to respect his privacy. If he wanted to discuss the meaning behind it, it was up to him not her and her abilities. "So…I had her come out and meet me by the lake and…..I guess I was just……so thrown that she'd wanted to make it up to me…….set up a picnic for her," he admitted sheepishly. Kira smiled.

"Sounds cute..." She trailed off. "I'm sure she loved it," she said. Christian smiled a bit as he remembered the way Mia's face lit up when she first saw what he had set up for her.

"Yeah, she did," he replied. Kira smiled.

"I'm assuming you two discussed things."

"We did," Christian nodded. "And….she……well…..we ended up coming to the conclusion that we'd……be together, just……."

"In secret?" Kira supplied. Christian nodded.

"And if I were to take a guess, you're not overly thrilled with that, are you?" She questioned, taking a bite of her eggs. Christian sighed.

"It's……..something," he replied. "I mean, I……really like her…….but….I just-"

"You feel like keeping it a secret like that makes it something you guys are supposed to be ashamed of," Kira surmised. Christian looked at her.

"That telepathy thing is really annoying," he commented. Kira smiled.

"Good to know, but I'm not using my powers right now," she replied. Christian's mouth closed, no longer having a witty retort to her comment. Kira took another bite of her eggs. "So," she said as she swallowed her mouthful of eggs. "What is it that you think I can do to help?" She questioned.

"Maybe use your powers to blow Andy's brain up?" Christian asked. Kira chuckled.

"I don't think they work that way," she said. Christian shrugged.

"You could try," he replied. Kira shook her head still smiling.

"You know I can't do that Christian." She replied. Christian heaved a sigh.

"Alright," he said. "I was just kidding anyway," he shrugged. Kira nodded. "Anyway….I guess…some advice would be nice," he muttered. He didn't like having to seek out help like this but he needed some advice on things with Mia, especially if it was wise to continue to pursue her or give up now if it was obvious he'd only come second to Andy.

"And you came to me because I'm the only other option...And only other female on the team." Kira mused. Christian shrugged.

"Also figured you'd have some insight or wisdom that comes with age and you're the only adult here I didn't just meet this week." Kira frowned.

"I'm going to ignore the age comment," she muttered, taking another bite of her eggs. Christian rolled his eyes.

"Contrary to what you might think, you're not _that_ old." He muttered. Kira chuckled.

"Back pedaling I see," she commented wryly. Christian rolled his eyes again.

"I didn't mean to say I think you're old, just that…you're far from the drama of teenage years,"

"Not _that_ far," she replied.

"Were you a teenager yesterday? No. So you're far enough," Christian said in an annoyed tone. Kira rolled her eyes.

"Just because I'm not a teenager doesn't mean that I don't have drama in my life Christian." She replied. Christian rolled his eyes.

"Alright, so you can't help, I guess I'll go then, sorry for bugging you," he said as he pushed his chair back. Kira sighed. She could see Christian was opening up but was now ready to shut down once again. He'd come to her, letting her get a foot in the door past his anti-social walls. It'd be unwise of her to pull that foot out, who knew when she'd have another chance to be let past his walls again.

"I didn't say that," she said. "I just mean that I'm not a drama free zone if that's why you're coming to me." Christian sighed and looked down at his plate of eggs.

"Mia's been your teacher's pet since day one of 9th grade, which means you've had a pretty front row seat to her and Andy's friendship," he explained. "Besides, you're a teacher, isn't shoveling out advice in the job description?" He asked. Kira thought about it for a moment before speaking.

"It really depends. If I take an interest in my students and their lives and I get involved, then yes, it is my job to shell out advice. But on the flipside, you get teachers who want absolutely nothing to do with their students personal lives, and just ignore everything about them." She replied.

"Well which teacher are you then?" Christian asked, looking at her. Kira smiled.

"Well, let's see, I'm sitting here in my kitchen with a student and offered him some breakfast. Which teacher do you think I am?" She asked. Christian poked at the remains of his eggs and chuckled.

"I guess you'd be the first one." He replied. Kira nodded.

"And as for your other comment, sure Mia's been a student that's stood out these past few years but I really wouldn't call her my 'pet'," she said. Christian just gave her a look.

"Uh huh, whatever you say," he said. Kira chuckled.

"Okay, fine," she said. She finished off the last bit of her eggs and pushed her plate aside before putting her elbows on the table and folding her hands by her mouth in a thoughtful look. "You think because Mia's not willing to stand up to Andy it means she doesn't care about you?" She theorized. Christian looked down. Though Mia had said and done things to show she did in fact care about him, he couldn't be sure.

"I guess," he mumbled. Kira took that as a yes and nodded.

"Well, for one thing I really don't think Mia would do something like that to someone. I don't know what's gone on between you two but I do know that if she didn't care for someone she wouldn't make them believe she did." Christian took some comfort in her observation and nodded. "And, as strange as it sounds, the fact that you two are doing anything behind Andy's back speaks in your favor," she said.

"How do you figure?" Christian asked.

"As you yourself have probably seen, Mia and Andy are close. It's pretty hard for them to keep secrets from each other. Hell, the first time she and I encountered Vengakix and Andy called her to see what's going on, having to lie to him nearly threw her into a panic attack and she ended up meeting with him to tell him the truth. So if she's actually willing to hide something from Andy, it shows it's something she wants. But, at the same time, I'm not suggesting this is an ideal situation. It's not right for Andy to put Mia in a position to have to lie, nor is it right for Mia to think lying is the best solution," she said. Christian nodded.

"So, what do I do? Tell her this whole secret thing won't fly and she has to either fess up or I'm gone?" He asked.

"You mean give her an ultimatum?" Kira asked. Christian sighed and shook his head dejectedly.

"But that won't work," he thought aloud. "She'll just pick to do whatever Andy wants yet again," he muttered.

"I don't think being another person who's forcing her to choose is a wise option," she said.

"So just grin and bear it?" Christian said. Kira shook her head.

"No. Mia thinks this route is a good idea because it seems to keep everyone happy. But it doesn't. And I can tell you that no matter how hard the truth may be, keeping secrets from friends has never been in the formula for a healthy and issue or drama free friendship," she said, thinking back to her dino ranger days when Trent kept his father's dual identity a secret. "Secrets don't stay hidden forever," she went on to say, "if and when Andy does find out Mia lied to him, he'll be hurt."

"Yeah," Christian nodded. "But that still doesn't tell me what I should do," he stated. Kira sighed and gave him an apologetic look.

"I wish I could tell you what to do," Kira replied. Christian sighed.

"So I'm caught between a rock and a hard place with what I'm supposed to do." He replied. Kira nodded.

"It would seem that way...But follow your heart...As cheesy as that sounds."

"Well, that'd be great advice if it wasn't for the fact that my heart doesn't know where to go," he muttered. "I want to be with Mia….but being some dirty little secret isn't going to do my heart any good either," he said. Kira gave him a sympathetic look.

"I can't tell you what you should do," she said. "But I can tell you what not to do. From my understanding, you're the only one in this situation who's not pushing Mia into a corner. That's a good thing. You're the only one not forcing her to choose and when it comes to you and Andy, that simple makes you come out on top."

"It does?" Christian asked. "Seems to me that it makes me the bigger sucker," he muttered.

"No," Kira stated with a kind smile. "It makes you the more understanding person who cares about what makes Mia happy and not just having her do whatever will make you happy," she said. Christian sighed slightly.

"Mia means a lot to me...And I just can't stand the way that Andy treats her, especially when it comes to me." Kira shook her head.

"For the life of me I can't understand why Andy would do that to her," she said. "She's his friend, he should want to see her happy." Christian shrugged.

"According to her, Andy's just being protective….and hey, if that's another word for possessive and controlling, sure that works," Christian replied.

"Strangely enough, he himself might even think he is just looking out for his friend. Sometimes when we care deeply for someone the desire to not see them hurt goes a little overboard. But even still, that doesn't excuse what Andy's doing." Christian snorted.

"No it doesn't excuse it." He replied, anger seeping into his tone. "Andy doesn't deserve Mia as a friend." He snorted again. "He thinks _I _don't deserve her? Well at least I don't make selfish demands that only hurt her," he ranted.

"You really do care about her, don't you?" Kira observed, noting his anger.

"What gave it away?" He all but snarled. Kira put her hands up in a 'I come in peace' sort of gesture.

"Okay, no need to get mad at me," she said. Christian sighed deeply and leaned back in his chair.

"Alright, I'm sorry...Its just that I love Mia, and Andy just won't let me be anywhere next to near her, because he thinks I'm 'exactly like Josh' and I'm just going to break her heart." Christian replied. Kira's eyebrows shot up.

"You love her?" She asked. Christian blinked; not even realizing he'd said it but nodded nonetheless. "Have you told her?" Kira asked.

"Not in so many words," he muttered sheepishly. "I mean….she knows….I just didn't actually say the words," he said. Kira furrowed her brows as she tried to get what that meant but decided to let it go.

"Does she feel the same?" Kira asked.

"She said she feels something, but needs more time to figure out what that something is," Christian replied.

"Oh I see." Kira replied. She gave him another thoughtful look. "Well, as for Andy, he doesn't know you and that's why he thinks that."

"I really don't think he wants to get to know me," Christian replied.

"That could be," Kira said. "But you're all a team now," she reminded him. "You two will be around each other and maybe after some time, after he sees the real you and how much you care about Mia, he'll ease up."

"Time? I'm sorry but I don't exactly feel like waiting for eternity because Andy doesn't like me," Christian snapped. Kira sighed.

"I understand," she said. "Well, your other option is to try talking to Mia about how this arrangement makes you feel," she suggested. Christian went silent. "But you don't want to pressure her." Kira commented, nodding. Christian looked at her.

"That time you read my mind didn't you?" He asked. Kira gave him a small smile.

"Maybe," she said. Christian gave her a half smile before nodding.

"I really don't want to hurt her..." He trailed off. Kira nodded.

"I know," she said. "But you shouldn't be hurting either," she said. "If this situation isn't good for you, you need to talk to Mia about it." Christian groaned.

"I can't handle any more tears." He muttered. Kira tilted her head.

"What do you mean?" She questioned. Christian sighed.

"Every time we've talked about the Andy problem...She cries...And her crying just breaks my heart." He replied softly. Kira smiled a bit as he articulated how he felt. In the years she'd known Christian as one of her students, he rarely showed any emotion other than contempt and annoyance. As she had said to Ethan and Conner the night before, she knew there was more to him than that and she was glad to see she was right.

"Is there anything in particular that sets her off about the conversations regarding Andy?" She asked. Christian thought about it for a moment.

"Well, the last time she cried it was….I guess she thought I was using her…..and compared me to Josh……." He shrugged. "I guess what sets her off is not so much what I say about Andy……but she's afraid that Andy's right about me…..or something," he shrugged again. Kira nodded.

"I see," she said. "Hmm," she said.

"Hmm?" Christian asked. "Hmm what? What do I do, forever attempt to further convince her I'm not like Josh?" He asked. Kira shook her head.

"I don't even know if she really thinks you're like Josh," Kira theorized. "It almost sounds like she's afraid."

"Well, duh," Christian said.

"What I mean is, this sounds like it's the first time Mia's gone behind Andy's back or done something without him knowing and/or approval," Kira continued. "It's a good thing, shows she's growing into her own person, but she and Andy have been each other's shadows for fifteen years. It might be scary for her. Not to mention the fact that she's risking that fear, as well as lying to Andy to be with you. She might be afraid that that risk is not one she should take."

"Then how can I prove to her that it's not?" He questioned. Kira made a face.

"You're not going to like my answer," she said.

"Just spit it out," Christian requested.

"You continue being there for her and just give her time to see it for herself," she said. Christian rolled his eyes.

"You're right; I don't like your answer." He replied sourly. Kira sighed.

"Mia's unsure and confused now. She's always had Andy be on board with whatever she's done, I'd imagine, so wanting something that Andy isn't cool with is new for her. It might even me wrecking hell with her confidence. Andy's always been her consistency and that's changing."

She gave him a sympathetic look. "All you can do is be patient with her." Christian snorted a bit.

"And I thought I'd be the one with the emotional hang ups in the relationship," he muttered. Kira shrugged.

"Maybe you will be, you just need to help her through this," she said. She gave him a half smile. "Maybe once she's got her emotional footing back, she'll be ready to tell Andy where he can stick his controlling possessive nature," she said. Christian chuckled.

"If that happens, I'll be sitting front row with a tub of popcorn and a big ole smile on my face," he muttered. Kira gave him a stern look.

"Now, now," she chastised. "If you want this to work, you're going to have to lighten up on him too," she pointed out. Christian gave her an incredulous look.

"What?" He asked. "I'm not the one with the problem."

"Maybe," she said. "But you not liking her best friend won't make things any easier. She'd feel like she'd have to choose even without anyone making her." As she said this, Kira thanked the universe that back when she had dated Trent and even now with things going on with Conner, she wasn't in Mia's predicament. Ethan was like the Andy to her Mia, and it helped a great deal that Ethan considered Conner as good of a friend to him as he did her. Christian snorted.

"I'll work on it." He muttered. Kira nodded.

"You do that," she advised. The sound of feet coming down the stairs stopped Kira from continuing the conversation. A loud yawn alerted them that the person was coming into the kitchen. Seconds after, Ethan strolled in, rubbing his hands over his eyes.

"Morning'." He commented. Kira smiled.

"Morning," she replied.

"Coffee?" He asked sleepily. Kira pointed over to the coffee maker on the counter.

"Made a pot when I woke up," she said. Ethan nodded around another yawn as he shuffled over to the counter. He grabbed a cup out of the cupboard and poured himself a cup. He turned around and took a deep gulp of the coffee before relaxing, and sighing happily.

"Delicious."

"You're welcome," Kira chuckled. Ethan smiled and blinked as if realizing for the first time that Kira wasn't alone.

"Oh, hi," he said. He looked at Kira. "Are we having a ranger meeting I didn't know about?" He asked. Kira cast a look over at Christian before looking back at Ethan.

"Oh no, Christian here was just asking for some……college advice," she said, deciding that if Christian wanted Ethan to know the true nature of their conversation he could reveal it himself. Ethan nodded.

"MIT's a great school." He commented nonchalantly. Kira chuckled and shook her head at her friend's attempt to push his alma mater.

"UCLA is just as good," she replied.

"Pfft. If you want to see a bunch of surfers walking around sure." Ethan teased. Kira rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," she replied. Christian quirked an eyebrow at the two.

"Well, I think I'm going to head out," he announced, standing up. He looked at Kira. "Thanks for the eggs and the advice," he said. "I'll think about…applying to those programs you mentioned," he said. Kira nodded.

"Sounds good, let me know if you need help with the applications." She replied. Christian nodded.

"Will do," he replied. He gave a departing nod to Ethan and Kira before leaving the kitchen and making his way to the front door. Both Kira and Ethan waited until they heard the front door slam, and the starting of Christian's bike before Ethan spoke.

"I'm gonna take a wild stab in the dark and say that, that conversation wasn't about college applications," he said. Kira picked up the plates and utensils on the table and busied herself with taking them to the sink.

"What makes you say that?" She asked nonchalantly.

"Well most students I know, would talk to their teachers during school...Not at 10am on a Saturday morning...in the summer." He replied. Kira chuckled as she put the plates and utensils into the dishwasher.

"I'm going for a run Ethan...I'll be back later." She smiled as she headed down to the basement to get her running gear. She returned a few moments later, wearing a similar top, and black running shorts, her white and yellow sneakers on her feet. Ethan glanced at her from his spot at the table.

"Don't think you're getting outta this conversation." He teased. Kira laughed.

"Whatever Ethe, I'll be back later."

"Yeah, yeah," Ethan said, giving a dismissive wave as Kira left the house. She laughed as she took off at a sprint down the driveway and around the corner onto the main road. She stayed on the side of the road as she jogged so as not to be in the way of oncoming cars, not that many cars came down that road but Kira figured it was wise to stick to standard jogging precautions none the less. She came to a stop at the intersection close to the high school and waited for the light to change. She put her hands on her hips and bent over slightly, trying to catch her breath.

"Well, well, a ranger all alone," came a sneer from behind her. Kira stood up straight and quickly spun around to see Vengakix standing there.

"Oh...You again?" Kira questioned. "Got nothing better to do on a Saturday morning?" Vengakix smirked.

"Oh I consider destroying you a wonderful thing to do on a Saturday morning," she replied.

"You need some new material." Kira replied, getting into a fighting stance. Vengakix simply chuckled as a ball of energy formed in her hand. In a lightning fast movement, she hurled it towards Kira, catching her in the chest. Kira let out a choked yell as she fell back; groaning as she gingerly clutched her chest. "Huh," she said, wincing a bit at the pain in her chest, "didn't know we were done with the banter part of this little meeting."

"I guess you didn't get the memo." Vengakix sneered as she prepared another energy blast. Kira rolled to the side as the energy blast exploded where her head had been seconds before. She kicked her leg out, catching Vengakix in the shin. Kira shoved herself up as she heard Vengakix tumble to the ground. Gathering all of her strength, Kira took off at a sprint for her house. She felt the leather material wrap around her ankle before a sharp tug made her fall face first to the ground. She groaned and turned on her back to see Vengakix's whip wrapped around her ankle.

"And here I thought Christian broke that toy," Kira muttered.

"I have extras." Vengakix sneered.

"I see that," Kira said before bringing up her free leg and quickly sweeping it through the length of the whip. The force and suddenness of the move caught Vengakix off guard, causing the whip to fall out of her hand. Kira quickly tore it off her ankle and jumped up to her feet. Kira threw the whip into the bushes beside her and took off again. Kira sprinted home, never slowing to look behind her. Her chest stung as the wind irritated the area where the blast had been concentrated, and she could feel blood on her face from where she'd cut her cheek during her fall. Her breaths came out in short pants as the pain in her chest made it hard to breath. She finally caught sight of her porch and could see Conner standing at the edge of it, simply gazing out onto the landscape. Kira closed her eyes and pushed herself to sprint the remaining distance. She launched herself up the stairs just as she collapsed onto her porch.

"Kira!" She heard someone exclaim worriedly as she fell. Just as the person knelt beside her, Kira felt her eyes roll into the back of her head, and everything went dark.


	18. Chapter 18

"Ethan!" Conner yelled as loud as he possibly could from the front porch. His attention turned back to Kira, who was unconscious on her front porch. He hadn't seen her running up until it was too late. He'd watched as she sailed through the air and crash to the ground violently. "Oh god," he muttered fearfully, carefully turning Kira onto her back and gathering her in his arms. "Ethan!" He called out again, his voice cracking a bit in desperation.

"What, what?" Came Ethan's voice as he walked outside. Ethan froze at what he saw. "Wh…what happened?" He asked, quickly going to Kira's side.

"I…I don't know, she just….just ran up here and collapsed," Conner replied.

"Jesus." Ethan whispered. "We need to get her inside." Conner nodded and scooped her up in his arms as he stood up. Kira lay limply in his arms, her head lying against his chest. Ethan held up the door as wide as it could go while Conner moved Kira's limp form into the house. "Kitchen table." Ethan commented. Conner nodded as he moved into the kitchen. Ethan quickly removed all the items on the table and grabbed one of the seat cushions for Kira's head. Conner carefully laid her on the table, slowly resting her head on the cushion. Ethan put his fingers on her wrist, feeling for a pulse. His eyes watched as her chest rose and fell slightly.

"Her pulse is really weak, and her breathing is labored." Ethan commented. "We need to get her to the hospital." Conner nodded.

"Help me get her to the car." He replied. Ethan nodded and stepped back as Conner picked her back up. Ethan went ahead of him and held the door open, picking up his car keys from where they left them on Kira's end table as he walked across the living room. Conner moved quickly across the lawn as he stopped at the backseat door of Ethan's car. Ethan quickly sprinted over the car, pressing the automatic car lock button on his key as he made his way over. As soon as he was by Conner he threw the door open and helped Conner carefully move her into the car. As soon as Kira was lying down in the backseat, Ethan moved to the front. Conner shut the door behind him, trying to sit comfortably on the floor, one arm over her stomach, and the other supporting her head, as not to bash it during the ride.

"We'll call back here and tell Tommy and Trent what happened after she gets checked out," Ethan said as he quickly put his car in drive and sped away from Kira's house. The drive from Kira's house to the hospital, although a short distance, dragged for Conner as he held her in his arms. Her breathing was even more labored, her chest barely rising and falling as the sped through the city.

"Come on Kira," he whispered to her. "You can't leave me now, not now," he whispered, placing his lips to her forehead. Ethan pulled up to the hospital with a screeching halt and scrambled out of the car. He pulled the backseat door open to let Conner climb out before the two carefully pulled her out, Ethan helping Conner get her in his arms. He gave Kira a gentle squeeze before the both hurried through the front doors of the ER.

"We need help!" Ethan yelled as he and Conner burst in. A nurse hurried over to their side.

"What happened?" She questioned as she took a look at Kira.

"W…we don't know, but…her pulse is weak and her breaths are…are labored," Ethan said, trying to be coherent enough through his raging fear.

"Help her, please," Conner desperately pleaded. The nurse cast a look at him before nodding as she turned her head back, calling for a gurney. Two orderlies came in pushing the gurney in as they came to a stop before them.

"Set her down on this," the nurse told Conner. Conner did as he told his eyes never leaving her as he carefully laid her down.

"Alright, we need to take her back to get a better look at her." The nurse commented. "You two need to wait over there," she said, sweeping a hand to the waiting room as she followed the orderlies as they pushed the gurney away. Conner's question to go with them died on his lips as they were told they had to wait in the waiting room. He stood rooted there in the front of the emergency room as they watched them disappear with Kira. Ethan blinked a few times before squeezing his eyes shut and rubbing them with his thumb and forefinger, trying to fend off a panic attack that threatened to spring from his worry and fear for Kira and the part of him that kept wishing this wasn't really happening to one of his best friends. After a moment, he took a deep breath and looked at Conner, whose mouth was still slightly agape. The look on Conner's face could only be described as a look of pure shock. Ethan put his arm around his best friend's shoulders.

"Come on man...Lets get you sitting before you collapse." He tried to pull him towards the waiting area but Conner stayed in place.

"No….I have to make sure she's okay," he whispered in a lost sort of tone. "I have to stay." Ethan nodded.

"We're both staying," he said in a gentle tone, hoping to get through to Conner through his shocked and lost haze. "We just need to stay over there like the nurse said," he said.

"But..." Conner trailed off, his voice breaking slightly. Ethan cringed.

"She'll be okay Conner...We need to sit though." Conner closed his eyes and simply let Ethan lead him to the row of plastic chairs in the waiting area. Ethan brought him to the chairs and gently pushed down on Conner's shoulder to have him sit. Conner collapsed on the chair, leaning forward on his thighs, his eyes focusing on a spot on the floor. Ethan rubbed his face and sat down beside him.

"I can't lose her," Conner whispered. "Not now, not when we just….." He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut as tears began to sting them. "I can't lose her," he whispered, his voice thick. Ethan put his hand on Conner's shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze.

"You are _not_ going to lose her...She's going to pull through." Ethan reassured them both.

"I don't…I don't understand," Conner stated. "Wha…what happened….?" Ethan sighed, shaking his head.

"I don't know," he said. "Christian was over, discussing 'college applications' with Kira, and after he left, she went for her run...Just like she does everyday." Ethan replied. Conner ran a hand through his hair.

"Could…could she have been hit by a car or something?" Conner asked, trying to make sense of what had happened to the woman he loved. Ethan shrugged.

"I don't think so...A car would have damaged her legs and head...Not chest and head." He replied. Conner blinked as shuddering thought came to him.

"You…don't think she could've been attacked by….." He swallowed thickly, "_her_, do you?" He asked. Ethan's breath caught in his throat. It made perfect sense... Vengakix had landed a kick to Kira's chest during their previous fight...So an unarmed blast against Kira would do even more damage.

"I...Uh..." Ethan replied. He shook his head. "Fuck," he muttered to himself. "She….she didn't have her coin on her….I was still making the morphers for her and the kids," he squeezed his eyes shut. "I shouldn't have let her go out for her run," he said, waves of guilt washing over him. Conner looked at his best friend.

"This is _not_ you're fault Ethan." Conner replied, squeezing his shoulder. He looked back to where the nurse and orderlies had vanished with Kira. "Someone…….someone will come out and tell us how she's doing….soon…" He said, half stating it and half hoping. The two fell silent while they waited. Minutes ticked by, and turned into hours as they continued to wait. The two fell silent while they waited. Minutes ticked by, and turned into hours as they continued to wait.

--

"Take it back!" Andy exclaimed as he and Mia walked out of the mall. Mia giggled.

"I won't," she replied as the two made their way through the parking lot. "You just can't seem to face it that Channing Tatum is a horrible actor who's only appeal is a six pack he's managed to keep for ten years," she said as she sipped the last of her cup of soda from the movie they had just finished watching.

"Yeah….well….that alone requires talent!" Andy replied. Mia rolled her eyes and tossed her now empty cup in a nearby trashcan.

"Whatever," she replied.

"Don't you whatever me!" Andy teased as he tickled Mia's sides. She shrieked with laughter.

"Stop it!" She shrieked.

"Yes, stop so that I can kill you both, just like I did your stupid and pathetic leader." Came the dark voice from behind them. Mia and Andy froze and spun around to see Vengakix standing on a hood of one of the parked cars.

"Wh…what did you just say?" Mia breathed out, shocked as she fully processed what the villainess had said. Vengakix's face broke out in a twisted grin as she effortlessly jumped off the car.

"Oh you hadn't heard then? I get to be the bearer of bad news then." She replied, still grinning. "Your pathetic teacher should be good and dead right about now."

"You're lying," Mia hissed angrily. "Kira's way to strong for you, psycho bitch." Vengakix laughed.

"Too bad a direct hit to the chest will kill anyone." She replied. Mia's breath caught in her throat, a lump forming at the thought of her favorite teacher dead. "Oh is little girl going to cry?" Vengakix sneered.

"More like kick your ass." She replied, forcing back her tears.

"Mi, we need to get out of here," Andy whispered to her, grabbing her wrist to pull her back. "If she's telling the truth, then-" He was cut off by Mia snatching her arm away and bringing it forward, shooting out a gust of wind. The force slammed against Vengakix's chest and knocked her backwards onto the hood of the car she had jumped off of. The sound of the car's breaking windshield filled the air.

"Now, we can go." Mia replied, glaring at Vengakix's form as hot tears filled her eyes. Vengakix's evil chuckle filled the air as she seemed to float off the hood of the car back onto her feet.

"You'll go when I say you can go," she snarled. "In pieces," she added.

"Um, I think we'll pass." Andy replied, firing a blast of water at her. Vengakix was knocked back into the car. Andy narrowed his eyes and kept the blast going for a few seconds longer before pulling his hand back, satisfied that she was taken care of. Andy took hold of Mia's arm. "Let's go before she decides to get back up again," he said, pulling Mia away with him as he ran to his car.

"Fine by me." She replied as the climbed in. Andy got in as well and quickly sped away from the mall parking lot. "We….we have to find her," Mia said, her voice wavering as she wiped at her cheeks with her fist. Andy nodded as he spun the steering wheel, casting a careful look at his rearview mirror to make sure they were not being followed.

"Should we go to her house?" Andy asked. Mia nodded.

"It'd be the best place." She replied. Andy nodded and turned the wheel again to get on the main road to the house. Mia jammed her tongue against the roof of her mouth as fear and anxiety coursed through her. She prayed that they'd get to the house and see Kira comfortably lounging in the living room or something. She was so caught up in her own thoughts she practically jumped when her phone began to ring. She cast a look at Andy before digging into her bag to pull it out. _Please be Kira, please be Kira, _she thought to herself, hoping it would ease her worry. She pulled her phone out and flipped it open. Another number she didn't recognize. "Hello?" She questioned.

"Mia? It's Ethan," the voice over the phone replied. Mia wondered for a moment how he could have her number but quickly pushed that aside.

"Where's Kira?' She demanded.

"She's in the hospital..." He trailed off. Mia moved the phone down a bit and looked at Andy.

"Hospital," she ordered. Andy looked at her for a moment before nodding and turning the wheel around. Mia brought the phone back to her mouth.

"Is she…..is she okay?" She asked. Ethan was quiet. Mia squeezed her eyes shut. "Vengabitch showed up and said Kira was dead," she spat out. "So don't you dare get quiet on me."

"Mia, calm down," Andy said.

"Shut it!" Mia hissed.

"She's being checked out," Ethan finally answered. "I already called Nathan and Christian. Wanted to tell you guys to be on alert that Vengakix's out and about," Ethan said.

"Too late for that." Mia replied sourly. "Psycho bitch was in a gloating mood."

"She's not going to have anything to gloat about," Ethan stated firmly.

"Good." Mia replied as they turned into the hospital parking lot. "We just pulled in." She informed Ethan.

"I see you guys," Ethan replied. Mia turned to look out the window as Andy parked the car. She saw Ethan standing in front of the hospital entrance with his cell phone in his hand. The both climbed out of the car and hurried over to where Ethan was standing. "Are you two okay?" Ethan asked. They both looked fine but if they had encountered Vengakix he had to be certain.

"She didn't lay a finger on us," Andy stated.

"Thank god." Ethan breathed a sigh of relief.

"How's Kira?" Mia demanded. Ethan sighed.

"We're not….sure yet," he said.

"No one's talked to you?" Mia asked.

"No, no, a doctor came to see us….it's just…….." He sighed. "He said she fractured a few ribs and has some internal bleeding…….it……..she's in surgery……." He took a deep breath. "The doctor said her broken ribs didn't puncture her lung or aeorta, so……..thank god for small favors," he muttered.

"Well that's good...Right?" She questioned.

"If she had punctured them, Vengabitch would've had something to gloat about," Andy told her. "Kira wouldn't have made it to the hospital."

"We're still waiting for her to come out of surgery," Ethan said.

"She'll be fine." Mia commented. She gave a definite nod. "Power Rangers don't die, that's just….not possible," she said. Ethan nodded.

"Come on, lets head inside...Last thing we need is that psycho coming here and blowing this place sky high." He muttered. The others nodded and went to follow him in when Mia's phone rang. She flipped it open and recognized it as Christian's number.

"I'll be with you guys in a second," she said to Ethan and Andy, telling them to go on without her. Both just nodded as they headed inside.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Are you okay?" Came the abrupt response. Mia bit her lip and nodded, only to roll her eyes as she remembered she was on the phone.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "I'm at the hospital." Christian was quiet for a moment.

"You do realize that 'I'm fine' and 'at the hospital' is an oxymoron, right?" He said.

"No, I mean, I'm fine, just….making sure Kira's…..you know…okay," she said. Christian sighed.

"Of course." He replied. "Ethan said she's in surgery, any news?" He asked.

"Not that I know of," Mia replied. They both were quiet for a moment, unsure what to say next.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Christian asked.

"Yeah," Mia replied.

"I want to see you," he said. "To…..to be sure," he said. Mia closed her eyes and sighed.

"I'm fine," she assured him. "Besides I don't want to leave here until I know-"

"I'm coming to the hospital," Christian asserted.

"Andy's here….I don't….I don't want drama right now," she said.

"I'm not going to cause any drama Mia...I promise." Christian replied softly. "I just..._need_ to make sure you're okay."

"I'm not worried about you causing drama," Mia replied honestly.

"Then as far as he'll know, I'm just checking on an injured fellow ranger and teacher," Christian replied. Mia sighed.

"Okay." She whispered. "I have to go inside, Andy will probably wonder why I'm taking so long," she muttered.

"Good, stay with the others," Christian replied. "I'll find you guys when I get there," he said.

"Okay," she said. She heard the sound of him hanging up. She sighed and flipped her phone shut before stuffing it back in her bag. She moved inside and noticed Andy waiting near the doors leading upstairs.

"Ethan showed me where to go so that I could come back and get you." He informed her.

"Oh, okay," she said, nodding a bit. She cast a look to the waiting room to the side. "Thought we'd all be waiting here," she said.

"That's the emergency waiting room," he pointed out. "Surgery's upstairs."

"Oh, yeah, right," she said, nodding as she approached Andy to follow him to where they needed to go. He put his arm around Mia's shoulders and gave her a squeeze.

"You okay now that we know Kira's alright?" He questioned.

"I'll be more okay when she makes it out of surgery," Mia replied as the two made their way up the stairs.

"Understandable." He replied. The two walked up the two flights to the surgery unit and found Ethan and Conner sitting in the waiting room.

"We're back." Andy commented, taking a seat beside Ethan.

"Any news?" Mia asked as she sat beside Conner.

"No, not yet," Ethan replied.

"How long has she been in surgery?" She asked.

"An hour," Conner stated, his eyes trained on the doors that led deeper into the surgery ward. Mia tentatively put her hand on Conner's shoulder.

"She'll be okay." She whispered. Conner blinked and cast a look her way, as if just realizing she was sitting beside him even though he had answered her question. He looked back to the doors.

"She has to be," he whispered in a firm tone. She squeezed his shoulder gently.

"She will be...She will be." The group fell into silence for the following few moments as they awaited news.


	19. Chapter 19

"Hey," came a voice. Everyone looked up expectantly, hoping it was a doctor but it was merely Christian approaching the waiting room. His eyes became glued on Mia for a long moment before looking at the others. "How is she?" He asked.

"We haven't heard any new news," Ethan replied. Christian nodded and sat on one of the plastic chairs across from them.

"That's good," he said. Andy snorted while throwing him a glare.

"Oh that's nice," he spat out. "Care to explain how that's good?" He asked. Christian looked at him. He was tempted to return the glare but he knew that wouldn't do any good so he decided to keep his gaze and tone neutral.

"When it comes to surgery, any news at this point wouldn't be good news," he replied. He brought his eyes back to the others to address the group as a whole. "As much as waiting sucks, the longer the doc's are in there," he said, pointing towards the doors Conner had been watching closely, "the better chance Kira's okay." Ethan nodded.

"He's right." He replied. "If we're kept waiting, it means they're still working on Kira, meaning she's not…" Ethan cleared his throat and looked away, not wanting to even entertain that possibility.

"Well, aren't you smart," Andy commented to Christian. Christian simply looked down, shrugging.

"Nothing about being smart," he said. "Let's just say I've seen my fair share of hospitals," he muttered quietly. His eyes traveled up from the floor to Mia, once again assuring himself that she was in fact fine. Mia's eyes were fixed firmly on him. She wanted nothing more to talk to Christian, be comforted and comfort him on whatever demons from his past this was dredging up, but she couldn't. Not at that moment. In that moment Mia almost wished she had the power of telepathy so as to have some sort of contact with him. _Oh yeah, that's nice, _her mind chastised. _Kira's in surgery and you're wishing you had her power, you're real sensitive, dumbass. _

"Trent and Tommy should be here," Conner suddenly said. Ethan blinked and practically smacked his forehead.

"Shit, I didn't…..I didn't call the house," he muttered to himself. He had been so busy worrying about Kira and making sure none of the other rangers ended up in her position he actually forgot to call them. "I'm an idiot."

"You've had a lot on your mind," Mia said.

"There's no way for them to get here," Ethan sighed. "I've got my car and I don't know where Kira left the keys to her car."

"I can get them," Andy offered. "I…..I was thinking Nathan should be here anyway, so I can pick all three of them up, if you want." Ethan looked at him and nodded.

"Yeah, yeah that'll…….that'll be great, thanks," he said. Andy nodded and stood up. He looked at Mia.

"You coming?" He asked. Mia looked at him before secretly sweeping a glance to Christian.

"No," she replied, looking back at Andy. "I….I'd really feel better staying here, in case something comes up," she said. It was the truth, there was no part of her that wanted to leave fearing that something important concerning Kira occurred while she was gone, but there was also the fact that Christian was there and she didn't want to leave him almost as much as she wanted to stay for news on Kira. Andy nodded.

"Okay...I'll be back soon."

"Thanks again," Ethan said. Andy nodded again before heading to the stairs and disappearing from view as he made his way down. The group fell back into silence, each left with their own thoughts, trying not to say much and praying that the doctor would walk out momentarily and tell them that Kira was alright. After a while the silence began to grate on Mia's nerves and she softly cleared her throat.

"Do you guys need anything?" She asked, looking at Ethan and Conner. "Coffee…..food….something?" She asked. She gave a small half chuckle. "Apparently in stressful times my inner waitress comes out," she muttered.

"Coffee would be good for me." Ethan replied. He turned and looked at Conner, whose eyes were still stationary. "Coffee for him too." Mia nodded.

"Alright," she said, standing up. She went to make her way to where she had caught a glimpse of vending machines when she and Andy walked over when Christian's voice stopped her.

"The machines on this floor suck," he said. "The coffee machine on the ICU floor tends to be better, doesn't break down as much and it tends to taste better," he said. Mia looked at him. "Come on, I'll show you where it is," he said, standing up. Mia nodded.

"Okay." She replied softly. Christian placed a hand on her back to lead her to the stairs.

"It's up one floor," he said. Mia nodded and simply let herself be guided up the stairs. As they walked up, Christian's arm slid around her shoulder and he squeezed her closer to him.

"Thank god you're alright." He whispered. Mia sighed and slid her arm around his waist and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"We saw her, Vengakix," she said. She felt Christian give her a tighter squeeze. "She…she said Kira was dead and was just so………." Mia let out a shuddering breath. "Like she was bragging."

"Did she hurt you?" He asked. Mia shook her head as they reached the ICU floor.

"No, was too busy gloating," she replied.

"Good...I'd probably kill her myself if she touched you." He growled. Mia closed her eyes and nuzzled her head against his neck, wanting to feel as close to him as she could, especially since they couldn't stay that way for long.

"I'm okay," she assured him, hoping to rid him of the harsh tone. Christian relaxed against her movement.

"Good." He replied, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. Mia gave a soft hum at how nice it felt to be in his arms.

"We should get the coffee," she murmured, not that she wanted to move too soon, yet she also wanted to be back downstairs awaiting news. Christian nodded.

"They'll be wondering where we went soon...Come on; it's just right over here." He replied, guiding her. Mia nodded and followed him as he brought her to a row of vending machines. Mia went to reach into her bag for her wallet when Christian stopped her.

"I've got it," he said.

"No, I-"

"I've got it," he insisted. Mia shut her mouth and nodded as they neared the coffee machine. He grabbed a Styrofoam cup from the dispenser at the side and placed it under the nozzle of the machine. Mia stood back and watched him expecting him to reach for money. Instead, he gave a careful look around them before giving the machine a purposeful whack right in the center of the machine's logo. Mia blinked.

"What are you doi-" She stopped as she heard the sound of the cup filling up with liquid. Christian turned and looked at her.

"The machine's got a glitch in it," he explained. "I think some money got stuck in it a long time ago or something. Anyway, if you hit it just right the machine reads money and we have coffee." Mia blinked.

"You've spent a lot of time here," she said. It had been intended to be a question but came out more as an observation. Christian looked down and took the cup out from under the nozzle and handed it to her. "Cream and sugar packets are on the other side," he said, pointing to the part of the machine at the other side of him. Mia nodded and took the cup from him and moved to his other side. "I thought they might've fixed it by now, but figured it'd be worth a try," he muttered as he grabbed another cup and put it under the nozzle.

"Oh," was all Mia could think to reply with as Christian gave a cursory look around them before giving the machine another deliberate whack in the same place, followed by the sound of coffee filling the cup. Mia smiled as he pulled the second cup out. He reached around her to get some cream and sugar packets, letting his fingers lightly graze her shoulder as he did so. Mia shivered involuntary as his fingers grazed her shoulder.

"Cold?" Christian asked. Mia bit her lip and shook her head. "You sure?" He gave her a small smile. "I do know where to hit the machine to get hot chocolate," he said. Mia giggled.

"I'll keep that in mind," she said. "But no, I'm fine thanks," she said. Christian grinned and quickly placed a kiss to her temple.

"We should head back downstairs." Mia nodded

"Yeah, you're right," she said. They stepped away from the machine and made their way to the stairs. When they reached it, Christian turned to her.

"Chances are, I'm not going to get to do this once we get downstairs," he said softly. Mia gave him a questioning look but wasn't left to question the statement for too long as Christian leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Mia smiled as he pulled away.

"Maybe you'll get a chance at it again later." She replied, pressing her lips against his softly and only for a few seconds before pulling away. Christian smiled and nodded.

"Hope so," he whispered before taking a deep breath and turning back to the stairs. "Let's go," he said. Mia nodded and followed him down. They soon were back on the surgery floor where they found Ethan and Conner just as they had left them. Christian went over and took the cup he had in his hand to Ethan.

"We weren't sure how you guys wanted your coffee, so we brought a few packets," Mia said as she neared Conner. Ethan accepted the cup and packets from Christian and nodded.

"Thanks," Ethan said, placing the cup on the seat beside him. He opened up one of the packets of cream and poured it in his coffee, followed by one of the packs of sugar. He set the remaining packets on the chair before picking the cup back up, swirling the cup gently to let the liquid stir. Mia went to hand the cup off to Conner but he paid her no mind. Ethan looked at her. "He takes black with two sugars, could you…?" Mia nodded.

"Yeah, sure," she said. Mia quickly dumped the sugar packets it and swirled it around.

"Conner?" She questioned timidly. Conner didn't respond, his eyes still trained on the doors. Ethan sighed and reached over, placing a hand on his back. Conner jumped slightly and turned to look at his friend. Ethan simply gestured towards Mia. Conner turned his head to her and saw her holding the coffee out to him.

"You're going to need it," Ethan said. "When Shelly's sister was in that car accident a few years ago, surgery took a while….coffee will definitely help you right now," he said.

"Oh, right...Thanks Mia." Conner mumbled as he took the cup from her and poured some of the hot liquid down his throat. Mia nodded.

"Yeah, no problem," she said. She looked over at Ethan. "So, I'm guessing there hasn't been any news?" She asked. Ethan shook his head.

"Nothing." He replied. Mia sighed and resumed her seat beside Conner. Christian went over and sat beside her, letting their arms brush surreptitiously.

"No news is good news," he reminded her gently. Mia nodded.

"I know." She replied softly. "But I still can't help but worry." Christian gave her shoulder a gentle nudge. Mia looked over to him and put her hand on her lap, letting it slip to the side of her leg where it brushed past his hand. Christian hooked his pinky against hers and gave it a tiny reassuring squeeze. The sound of voices filled the air as the nearby stairwell door opened, Nathan and Andy leading the way, Tommy and Trent following. Mia's head snapped to see Andy and quickly pulled her hand away from Christian. Christian sighed and slid a seat away from her; figuring sitting to close to her would set Andy off.

"How is she?" Tommy asked, briskly walking past Nathan and Andy as he made his way to Ethan with Trent close on his heels.

"Still in surgery," Ethan answered. Tommy sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"How long has she been in there?" Trent questioned, his voice filled with worry.

"Almost two hours," Conner spoke up. As his eyes trained on the doors, he kept track of each passing moment, wondering how long it'd be before they received news.

"Have we figured out what happened?" Tommy asked.

"It was Vengakix," Mia said, somewhat surprised Andy hadn't told them what had happened.

"What?" Trent and Tommy both spun towards her. Ethan nodded.

"Apparently Vengakix ran into Mia and Andy shortly after attacking Kira..." he trailed off. Mia groaned and threw a glare at Andy.

"What'd you do, Andy? Just showed up and corralled them in your car without a word?" She asked, a little annoyed that Tommy and Trent had been kept in the dark, which probably only increased their worry. Andy blinked and looked at her.

"Sorry, I didn't realize that I was the one who got to be the bearer of bad news." He replied. Mia rolled her eyes.

"But giving them something might've been nice," she said.

"Forget it," Trent said, his tone verging on snapping. Hearing the two teens bicker was not something he wanted to deal with at that moment, and he was pretty sure the others felt the same. Mia bit the inside of her cheek to keep from snapping any more than she already had.

"Sorry," she said after a moment. Nathan put his hands on Andy's shoulders, kneading them gently.

"Come on, let's sit down," he said in a soft tone.

"Sure." He replied quietly, taking a seat next to Nathan and intertwining his hand in Nate's. Mia watched as they sat together on the row of chairs across from her. Her eyes narrowed slightly at their joined hands. She knew it was just a natural position for the newly formed couple but a part of her felt as if Andy was doing it to spite her. She chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment before forcing herself to tear her eyes from the sight. She looked over to see Trent take the seat beside Ethan. Mia looked over at Tommy and slid over; taking the seat Christian had abandoned to put space between them. Tommy saw her move and gave her a small grateful nod before taking the seat beside Conner. The group fell into silence once again, watching the door and waiting for news.

"Should it be taking this long?" Trent asked. "You don't think there were any complications or anything, do you?"

"She'll be fine." Ethan replied, ignoring the panicked look that came across Conner's face. "It was internal bleeding...There's not exactly a time limit on surgery." He concluded.

"Internal bleeding," Trent repeated, feeling even more worried. "That's bad, that's…" He muttered.

"Should someone call her family?" Nathan asked.

"Her mother died a few years ago and her father...Isn't a well man." Conner replied.

"We're her family," Ethan stated in a no nonsense tone. Nathan thought better than to ask what Conner had meant about Kira's father and simply nodded. They all fell into silence again as they continued to wait. After another hour the door's swung open as a doctor in green scrubs walked in, pulling the mask away from her mouth as she walked into the waiting area.

"Guys…" Trent breathed out as he saw the doctor approaching them. The others looked over and stood up.

"I'm Dr. Wells... Is there any member of Ms. Ford's family present?" He questioned.

"Is there something wrong?" Conner asked, his voice shaking. The doctor cast a brief glance to him before looking at the group as a whole.

"Its hospital policy for news to be given to family members," he explained. The others looked at one another for a moment. They needed to know how Kira was doing, and if they had to lie to get it, they would. Before anyone else could make a move, Tommy stepped forward.

"I'm her cousin," he said. Ethan, Trent and Conner each sent him grateful looks. Dr. Wells nodded. Tommy went over to the doctor as the two stepped away from the group to speak privately, leaving the others to watch them closely.

"Talking in private….is that a good thing or bad thing?" Andy asked in a quiet voice. Nathan gave his hand a small squeeze.

"It's just hospital policy I'm sure," Ethan breathed out, hoping he was right. The group fell back into silence, watching and waiting. Tommy had his arms crossed over his chest as Dr. Wells spoke to him. The others watched him nod in understanding here and there but his facial expression was unreadable. They talked for a few more minutes before Tommy thanked the doctor and watched him walk back into the Operating Room. He took a deep breath before heading back over to the group.

"How is she?" The question exploded out of Conner's mouth before anyone could say or ask anything of Tommy. The former black ranger just sighed.

"Dr. Wells says that she's still in surgery, and has lost a lot of blood." He said. The color drained from the faces of the past and present rangers. "But they say that she's doing well." He concluded.

"Well which is it, she's doing well or she lost a lot of blood?" Conner snapped. Ethan looked at him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"The hospital has some of Kira's blood type in the blood bank, but….not enough," Tommy went on. He sighed. "She's O+. Dr. Wells was asking if I could donate, since it's customary to look at family first," he muttered. "Looks like the 'cousin' lie can go but so far….I'm A-."

"What about you guys?" Nathan asked, looking at Trent, Conner and Ethan. Ethan sighed and shook his head.

"I'm B, Conner's AB+ and Trent's A- like Tommy," he sighed.

"How do you possibly know all that?" Andy asked. Most people didn't even know their own blood type, yet Ethan knew that of his friends.

"When you're a ranger team, it's always a good idea to know blood types just in case," Ethan muttered.

"So now what?" Conner asked in a defeated tone. Mia bit her lip before giving a small noise with her throat, clearing it gently.

"Um…..I'm….O-," she said. "Would that….would that work?" She asked.

"For Kira, yeah," Nathan spoke up. "O neg is the universal donor."

"Alright...Then who do I talk to about donating?" She questioned.

"You should go on over to the nurse's station," Tommy said, pointing over to the counter not too far from them. Mia nodded and went to go over to the station.

"Thank you," Conner breathed out. Mia gave a small smile and shrug.

"It's just like the blood drives at school," she said, partly to hopefully lighten the mood but also to settle her own nerves. She wandered over to the Nurses Station. "Um, I was wondering if I could donate blood?" She questioned. The nurse sitting at the station looked up at her and nodded. The others stood back and watched Mia speak with the nurse. They watched her pull out her blood donor card from her wallet before a few more words were exchanged and another nurse came over to lead her past the doors. Mia followed the nurse, casting one last look to the others before disappearing through the doors.

"So, more waiting?" Trent asked. Tommy nodded.

"At least we've got some news now," he said. The others nodded their agreement. "Guess we should just….sit back down," he said as he lowered himself into the chair he'd been in before. The group fell back into silence as they continued to wait. Ethan put a hand on Conner's shoulder.

"She's going to be okay," he said, giving his friend an assuring smile. Conner just nodded in reply.

"I'll feel better when we see her," he said. Ethan nodded.

"Yeah. We've got something to go on now," he said.

"Did the doctor say how much longer the surgery will be?" Trent asked, looking at Tommy.

"He said that they've taken care of the major problems," he said. "They're working around her heart and lungs so they have to be careful, of course," he said. "It might be another few hours."

"Why are they working around her heart and lungs?" Andy questioned.

"She got hit in the chest, her ribs are broken. Why do you think they're working around the heart and lungs?" Conner hissed.

"Woah...No need to get hostile." Trent commented, stepping in. "We're all worried about Kira, but sniping won't solve anything." Conner sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"I'm sorry for snapping." He muttered.

"Waiting rooms aren't exactly known for their ability to instill stress free sentiments," Christian commented, giving an excuse for Conner's attitude. "There's a reason why on average they tend to be pretty quiet." Nathan nodded.

"Maybe we should just try and think happy thoughts, and stay quiet." He offered. The others used the engulfing silence to voice their agreement to Nathan's suggestion.


	20. Chapter 20

Over an hour later, a nurse came out of the room that Mia had gone into, pushing a wheelchair with Mia in it. Her face was as white as a sheet, head leaning slightly to one side, eyes partially closed. Christian's head snapped up and he instinctively rose to his feet.

"Oh my god, Mi," Andy said, getting up and going to Mia before Christian could take a step. "What happened to her?" He asked, looking frantically to the nurse.

"She had to give a lot of blood," the nurse explained. "She's just going to be a little weak for a while,"

"A little?" Mia snorted softly. Andy kneeled down beside her, placing a hand on her arm.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Mia tried to nod but that required too much energy.

"Yeah," she said.

"You look like hell." Nathan muttered.

"I feel like it too...But it'll help Kira." She replied.

"There's some orange juice over at the nurse's station," the nurse said. "Raising her blood sugar will help her feel better."

"I'll grab that." Andy commented as he stood and headed towards the nurses station. The nurse nodded before she placed a hand on Mia's shoulder and left them, going back behind the doors. Christian looked to see Andy was still speaking to the nurse at the station to get the juice. He took his chance to take the seat next to where the wheelchair was parked. He sat down and placed a hand on her leg. Mia titled her head to look at him.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked. Mia gave him a watery smile and closed her eyes.

"Yeah," she breathed out. "Just a little tired."

"Do you want to stretch out on the chairs?" He asked softly. Mia shook her head.

"If I stretch out, I'll fall asleep," she said, opening her eyes. "I don't want to fall asleep until we know for sure Kira's okay," she said. Christian went to place a hand on her cheek but stopped himself as he saw Andy making his way back over to them.

"You should try and sleep Mia...You'll feel better." He muttered as he moved back from her.

"Here we are," Andy said with a smile as he approached Mia. "Orange juice…fresh from the container," he smiled as he handed her the plastic cup. Mia slowly rolled her eyes to look at him.

"Andy, babe, I can barely lift my head up, how do you expect me to take a cup from you?" She asked, her tone a mixture of sweet and tired.

"Oh right." He replied. Christian rolled his eyes and took the cup from Andy.

"I've got it." He spoke as he put the cup to Mia's lips and tilted it towards her. Andy opened his mouth to object, not liking how close Christian was being to Mia but Nathan, observing the whole scene spoke up.

"How about we track down some disgustingly sugary vending machine snacks for her?" He asked, standing up. Andy looked at him. Mia swallowed a small sip of orange juice she had taken and chuckled.

"Vending machine snacks, yum," she said.

"Better than nothing." Trent replied.

"How 'bout Christian tracks them down and I take over-"

"Andy for god's sake just go with your boyfriend," Mia sighed. Christian bit the inside of his cheek to keep from chuckling. Andy raised his eyebrows at Mia's response.

"Ok, fine." He replied. Nathan smiled and went over to Andy, sliding his hand into his as they went to walk off. Mia mouthed a secret 'thank you' to Nathan as he passed by her before Christian pressed the cup to her lips again. She took another sip of the juice before sighing and closing her eyes. She forced her arm to slide off the armrest of the wheelchair and placed her hand on Christian's leg.

"Thanks," she said.

"Feeling any better?" He asked.

"Getting there," she replied.

"Good." Christian replied, squeezing her hand gently. "Have some more juice." He told her. Mia nodded and took another sip as he pressed the cup to her lips.

"I'm surprised they didn't have you stay back there until you got your strength back," Trent commented. Mia looked over to him.

"They were, but I didn't want to stay back there doing nothing all by myself like that," she said with a small attempt of a shrug.

"You shouldn't have done that Mia...You need your strength." The comment came from Conner, whose eyes never left the OR doors.

"I'm fine," she insisted. "Why use up a bed for someone who might really need it?"

"You mean like you?" Ethan asked. Mia rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine," she said again. "I'm already starting to feel a little better. In another few minutes I'll be pink as a pistol."

"Uh huh...Sure you will." Christian replied, tipping the cup towards her again. "You're not going anywhere fast." He murmured lightly. Mia finished off the contents of the cup in a few more sips. "Do you want some more juice?" He asked. Mia shook her head slowly.

"No...I'm good for now." She replied. Christian nodded and set the empty cup on the floor. He looked over her shoulder and saw Andy and Nathan returning. He sighed and sat back.

"Oh look whose back," he muttered. Mia squeezed his leg lightly.

"It'll be okay." She smiled softly. Andy and Nathan approached the group.

"We come baring powdered doughnuts, cinnamon roll packs, Heresy bars and the whole array of Mountain Dew flavors," Nathan announced. Mia chuckled.

"Uh guys, the goal is to raise my blood sugar, not to put me in a sugar coma," she said.

"I figured if you didn't eat them all, we would." Andy replied, teasing her. He went over and sat at one of the empty chairs beside her and nudged her chair back towards him, causing her hand to slip off of Christian's leg. Andy placed his arm load of snacks on the empty chair beside him. "So, which would you like to start off with?" He asked.

"I guess a Hershey bar." She replied. Andy grinned.

"Wise choice," he said as he picked up a chocolate bar and opened it up for her. Christian rolled his eyes to himself and stood up.

"Guess I'll go throw this out," he mumbled as he picked the empty juice cup from the floor.

"You do that," Andy said uninterestedly as he broke off a piece of the chocolate bar and brought it to Mia's lips. Mia sighed and reached her hand up, taking the piece from him.

"I've got it," she muttered as she popped the piece in her mouth.

"Aww, getting your strength back already?" He teased. Mia glared at him.

"Use that tone again, and I might have to hurt you." She replied sweetly.

"Well, mental note, low blood sugar equals cranky Mia," Andy mused.

"Funny how she wasn't cranky while you were gone," Christian muttered as he walked off to the nearest trash can.

"Really? I'd think anyone would be plenty cranky around you," Andy replied. Christian came back and crossed his arms over his chest. He opened his mouth to reply but the pleading look Mia was sending him made him stop.

"Hey if you two have some sort of issue you need to settle take it outside," Ethan ordered. Christian held up his hands.

"Sorry Ethan." He replied. Andy simply returned his attention to Mia and broke off another piece of chocolate, handing it to her. Mia grabbed the piece out of his hand and shoved it in her mouth, ignoring Andy as the chocolate melted in her mouth.

"Do you want something to drink?" Nathan asked, indicating the two bottles of soda he hand in his hands and the two Andy had been carried. Mia looked at him and shrugged.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," she said. Nathan unscrewed the lid of one of the bottles and handed it to Mia.

"You good?" He questioned. "Or..." He finished, trailing off. Mia smiled softly, touched at the fact that he was actually willing to help her, but not baby her about it.

"No I'm good." She replied, taking the bottle from him. She took a sip and sighed, holding the bottle down on her lap. "I can already count the cavities all of this is going to cause," she chuckled. Nate grinned.

"I'm sure they won't be too horrific." He chuckled. Mia smiled and took another sip of soda.

"Besides, you haven't even started on the mini doughnuts yet, so don't start thinking about cavities," Andy chuckled. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Guess I better get started then." She remarked, holding her hand out for the mini doughnuts. Andy grinned and picked up the pack of powdered doughnuts, opening it up and placing one in her hand. Christian watched the pair closely realizing this was how it was going to be—him and Mia sneaking little moments that would be totally disregarded and ended the second anyone else, namely Andy, showed up. He wondered if he could actually settle for that. If it was worth it.

"Mmm, powdery," Mia muttered as she plopped the small treat in her mouth.

"And delicious." Nathan commented, his hand reaching for one. Andy playfully smacked his hand away.

"Did you just give blood?" He asked. Mia sighed and sent Nathan an apologetic look as he pulled his hand away. She picked up a doughnut from the pack Andy was holding and held it out to Nathan.

"No, but I'm sure he paid for these," Mia replied, "So he deserves some sugary goodness."

"Thank you Mia," Nathan said, accepting the doughnut. "I'm beginning to wonder if I'm dating the right friend here," Nathan teased, looking at Andy as he put the doughnut in his mouth. Andy just stuck out his tongue in response. Mia giggled.

"Aw, thanks Nathan. But I'm taken," she said. Andy looked at her. Mia blinked. She had meant to just think that but was too caught up in her laughing she forgot to censor herself. She forced another laugh and grabbed another doughnut. "By these fattening powdery treats," she quickly added, shoving it in her mouth. The group fell back into silence once more, chatting every once every so often. Nearly another hour later, Dr. Wells walked back through the operating room doors and motioned for Tommy to come with him. The others looked at him as he stood up and walked over to the doctor.

"If the doctor tells him they need more blood, I'm throwing a cinnamon roll at his head," Mia muttered. The other's simply watched Tommy and the doctor closely. The doctor and Tommy spoke for a few minutes before Tommy smiled and nodded, thanking the doctor as he walked back into the OR.

"Well?" Conner asked impatiently as Tommy returned to them.

"The doctor said Kira's out of surgery, she's okay. They just want to start the transfusion and get it going for a bit before moving her to recovery." A collective sigh of relieve sprang from the group at the news.

"Thank god." Ethan muttered.

"Can we see her?" Conner asked.

"Not yet," Tommy said. "They want to set her up in the recovery ward first." Conner's face dropped slightly and Trent put his hand on Conner's shoulder.

"You'll be able to see her soon." He reassured his friend. Conner sighed, nodding.

"Yeah, yeah, you're right," he muttered. Ethan looked over at the four teens.

"Well since it sounds like Kira's on the mend, there's no sense in you guys wasting anymore of your Saturday," he said lightly, giving them a smile.

"Uh yeah, girl who just unloaded a Buick's worth of blood isn't leaving 'till she sees Kira for herself," Mia asserted as she took a sip of her Mountain Dew. Ethan sighed. There was just no getting rid of them.

"And since I'm that girl's ride, guess I'm staying too," Andy said. "And since I'm his ride too," he said, pointing to Nathan, "he can't really go anywhere. But hey, Christian, you can-"

"Andy maybe you should go, I can just call one of my brothers to come get me," Mia said, getting a tad bit irritated by Andy's attitude.

"Huh?" Andy replied.

"Ok here's the deal." Trent spoke. "Everyone can stay until we see that Kira is out of surgery... And then you four _will_ be going home." Mia opened her mouth to reply but Trent quickly continued. "Mia, we're all very grateful that you 'unloaded a Buick's worth of blood' for Kira, we really are. But right now it's a-"

"Ranger thing?" Mia asked. "Well," she said with a small tilt of her head and a shrug of her shoulder. "In case you've forgotten the four of us are rangers now too. So, as much as you guys are Kira's family, I guess now we are too."

"We understand that," Ethan said, taking the diplomatic approach. "And we're not saying we don't want you here-"

"Sounds like it," Christian cut in. Ethan sighed.

"Fine that's exactly what we're saying," Conner said, rolling his eyes. "So just go home and stay out of trouble."

"That'd direct." Nathan commented. Tommy sighed and rubbed a tired hand over his face.

"Look, you guys can visit her tomorrow if you want but right now just let us have some time with her," he said.

"Please." Conner spoke, his voice cracking on the last part of the word. Mia sighed.

"Fine," she said, shaking her head. "I guess as long Vengabitch's bragging rights were exaggerated that's all I need to know," she shrugged. She was in fact still worried about Kira and wanted to stay but if this was going to continue being an adults versus teenagers fight she'd rather not waste all the effort on an impasse. Ethan sighed and nodded.

"Thank you...We'll see you guys tomorrow." He commented.

"Guess we'll just go now," Mia muttered as she went to push herself up out of the wheelchair. Tommy looked at the teens.

"Thank you." He commented. The teens just nodded. Andy shot a glance at Mia.

"I'll push you out." He spoke lightly.

"I can walk, thanks," Mia replied as she stood up. She blew out a puff of air as her head swam a bit. She stumbled back and placed a hand on the side of her head. Christian stepped forward and took hold of her arm to steady her.

"You sure about that?" He asked. Mia sighed.

"I'm fine." She replied. Christian led her back to the chair.

"Just let Andy wheel you out," he said, setting her back on the chair. Mia looked at him as he stood back. "Guess I'll be going," he said to the others as he moved towards the stairs. Mia watched him leave and looked down.

"Alright then, where are the elevators?" Andy pondered aloud as he took hold of the grips on the chair.

"Down the hall and to the left." Conner replied. Andy nodded and pushed the chair along with following behind them. The former rangers watched them walk towards the elevator. They waited only a few seconds before they disappeared inside and headed downstairs. About twenty minutes later, the doors to the OR opened, two nurses pulling a bed behind them. The four former rangers sprang to their feet as they watched Kira come into view. The two nurses pulled the gurney behind them as others crowded around the bed, two pushing along an IV stand on either side of Kira. Dr. Wells walked out behind the gurney.

"I'm going to have to ask you all to step away from the gurney...We need room to move." Tommy nodded as he and Trent stepped back. Ethan took hold of Conner's arm and pulled him back along with him as he joined Trent and Tommy.

"Is she….she okay?" Conner asked in a small voice. Dr. Wells nodded.

"She's responding well to the blood transfusion," he informed.

"Thank god." Conner muttered.

"We've got her on a low dose of morphine to help with the broken ribs," Dr. Wells informed as the nurses wheeled the gurney towards the elevator.

"Is there anything else that can be done?" Conner asked, worried she was getting inadequate care. Dr. Wells shook his head.

"Unfortunately rib fractures cannot be fixed in a cast like one would use for a broken arm or leg. They have to mend on their own," he said. The doctor cast a look over to see the nurses pushing the gurney into the elevator. "You all can make your way up to the recovery ward waiting room, it's two floors up," he told them before going off to join the nurses and Kira in the elevator. Conner sighed as he watched the elevator doors close and he got his last glimpse of Kira. Ethan placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze.

"She's okay," he said. Conner nodded.

"Yeah…." He said softly. He closed his eyes. "Yeah, she's okay," he repeated to himself.

"Lets head upstairs." Trent commented. Tommy, Conner and Ethan nodded and the four made their way to the row of elevators. Tommy pressed the up button and they waited for a few minutes in silence as the elevator climbed up from the first floor. The doors slid open as the elevator arrived and the four filed in. Trent hit the button to the recovery ward and they all stood back as they waited for the doors to close and the elevator to move. The elevator slowly climbed up two floors to the 6th floor. The doors opened and the group filed out. They came out just in time to see the doctor and nurses file out of one of the other elevators with Kira in tow.

"I guess we just go and wait over there," Trent said, gesturing to the waiting area, "until someone tells us we can go see Kira." Tommy nodded.

"I'd assume." He replied. The four made their way to the chairs in the waiting area and sat down to wait being allowed to see Kira. The gurney made its way to one of the rooms and disappeared as the nurses went to setting Kira and the IVs up. The only had to wait a few moments before Dr. Wells returned.

"We're going to keep Ms. Ford here on the recovery floor until she wakes up. After she wakes up, we'll be moving her to the ICU to monitor her recovery closely."

"ICU? As in intensive care?" Conner asked, surprised and fearful. "I thought she was okay." Dr. Wells looked at him.

"It's just a precaution. Once she wakes up she has to be very careful due to her ribs. I'd rather have her be watched closely in ICU than take any chances." Ethan nodded.

"Sounds reasonable." He agreed. Tommy nodded as well.

"Yes, thank you doctor," Tommy said. Dr. Wells nodded.

"One of the nurses will be out to let you go see your cousin," he said. "I'm sorry I have to go to a surgery consultation. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to have me paged."

"Will do." Trent replied as the Doctor walked away.


	21. Chapter 21

"Intensive care," Conner breathed out, the high hopes he was beginning to feel were starting to plummet back down.

"It's just a precaution," Ethan reminded him. "It doesn't mean she's not okay." Conner ran a hand through his hair and sighed, trying to regain confidence and hope through Ethan's words. A few moments later, one of the nurses exited the room.

"Sir." She commented, looking at Tommy. "You can go see your cousin now." The four men rose to their feet to make their way to the room. "Oh, I'm sorry, only family," she said, giving the other three an apologetic look. "Hospital policy….my hands are tied."

"Wow, this hospital sure has a lot of policies," Conner spat out. Ethan placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Whatever, go ahead Tommy, at least someone will get to see her," Conner grumbled. Tommy looked over at him then back to the nurse who was going to walk away.

"Excuse me," he called after the nurse as he went over to her. The nurse stopped and turned back to him.

"Yes?" She asked. Tommy paused and looked back at Conner for a moment before looking back at the nurse. "I understand the family only policy but I was wondering…well…." He took a deep breath. "My….cousin's boyfi…" He paused as he saw the expression on the nurse's face look like she was about to answer his question with a negative response. "Fiancé," he quickly substituted, chuckling a bit as he scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry, the two just got engaged so….sometimes it's hard not to slip," he said. It probably wouldn't do any good to give another lie, especially that of the nature he had in mid, but he could see Conner's desperation to see her. "He's a complete wreck, as you can see," he said. "Is there any way he can go see her?"

"Oh," the nurse said, blinking a bit before giving him a quick nod. "Yes, yes. I'm sorry, I didn't know." Tommy gave a small relieved sigh.

"Thanks," he said before going back to the other three.

"What was that all about?" Trent asked, not understanding why Tommy had returned to them instead of going to see Kira. Tommy looked at Conner.

"You can go see her," he said. Conner furrowed his brows.

"Seriously?" He asked. Tommy nodded.

"Yeah, go on. Just….if anyone asks, you two just got engaged," Tommy said. Conner blinked, definitely thrown by that.

"Oh," he said. He blinked again and shook his head, clearing it of the shock. "Thanks," he said. He stepped away from Ethan and making his way to the room.

"No problem." Tommy called after Conner as he walked into the recovery room. Conner paused in the doorway of the room as his eyes finally got a totally unobstructed view of Kira. She laid on the bed, unmoving. She was covered in a white hospital gown with the blankets of the bed pulled up under her arms. There was a soft beeping going off as a heart monitor recorded each steady beat. On either side of the bed was an IV stand. One had a few packets of blood hanging from it, the first of the line connected to a tube that went to her right arm. The one on her left held a clear liquid, which he figured to be the morphine Dr. Wells had mentioned. Conner sighed and walked closer into the room, finding the small plastic chair against the wall and pulling it close to Kira's bed.

"I guess Mia wasn't kidding about unloading a Buick's worth of blood," he gently joked to Kira's unconscious form as he sat down by her bed. Conner gently slid his hand into hers, gripping it softly. "God," he whispered, a lump forming in his throat. "God Kira, you…..you're not allowed to scare me like that ever again," he said, running a thumb over the back of the hand he held. "It took us this long to finally get together and I'll be damned if I lose you now," he said. He let out a shaky breath as a tear rolled out. He bent his head forward as he began to sob. He sat there for a while, letting his sobs roll out of him. After twenty minutes his sobs and tears ceased and he simply sat there, holding her hand. Another forty minutes passed and he considered going back to the waiting room to let the others see her but he couldn't bring himself to leave her. Beside him, he heard a small groan come from Kira as her head turned towards him. "Kira?" Conner asked softly.

"I feel funny," Kira mumbled, clenching her eyes shut. "Conner?" She asked.

"Yeah," Conner breathed out. "I'm here," he said, squeezing her hand. "I'm right here." She sighed.

"Good...But I feel funny." She replied, squeezing his hand back slightly. Conner smiled and brought his hand up to her forehead, gently stroking her skin.

"I'm just glad you're feeling anything," he whispered. Kira slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him. "You had me pretty scared," he admitted.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "What happened? I remember Vengakix attacking me... And running home, but after that..." She trailed off.

"You collapsed on the porch," Conner replied, a small shudder going though him at how frightening it was to see her just fall down before him like she had. "Ethan and I got you here to the hospital. Whatever Vengakix did to you, it broke some of your ribs and caused some internal bleeding." He blew out a shaky breath. "It's a miracle you didn't puncture your lung or anything when you ran home." He sighed and ran his thumb over the back of her hand again. "You were in surgery for a few hours so the doctors could stop the bleeding." Tears pricked the back of her eyes as Conner informed her what had occurred. She hadn't realized that it had been as bad as it was.

"Am I…..okay?" She asked. Conner nodded. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"They've already got some blood pumping into ya, so that should help," he said, pointing to the IV stand on the other side of her. "The doctor wants to move you to ICU at some point just to keep you under a close watch because of your ribs." He stroked her forehead again. "But….but you're going to be okay," he nodded. Kira nodded. She glanced down at her chest and noticed that a few inches above her breasts was wrapped up, down over them until almost the top of her ribs.

"Um...what's with the bandages?" She questioned. Conner furrowed his brows.

"I don't know," he said. "I guess to protect your ribs, or the stitches they did to close you up," Conner assumed.

"Conner." She replied, using her free hand to point slightly lower than where the bandages ended. "That's where my ribs start."

"You're not supposed to move too much," Conner gently admonished, reaching over to set her hand down to her side. Kira rolled her eyes.

"Because moving an uninjured arm is going to kill me." She muttered as she allowed Conner to put her arm down.

"You can't be too careful," Conner replied, bringing his hand back to her forehead. "Don't make me be glad you're okay and then worry I might actually lose you in the same hour," he said with a small smile. Kira closed her eyes and sighed softly.

"I'm sorry." She replied honestly. Conner leaned forward again and kissed her cheek.

"No need to be sorry," he whispered. "Just be okay," he said. Kira smiled.

"Oh, I'm sorry," a voice said. Conner sat back to see the nurse that Tommy had spoken too before standing at the doorway. "Didn't mean to interrupt anything, just wanted to check on the patient," she said. Her eyes went to Kira. "Oh, our awake patient," she said, giving Kira a warm smile. She walked over and stood at the other side of Kira's bed, checking to make sure the blood was going to Kira the right way. She looked down at Kira and Conner's joined hands and smiled at Kira. "Ya know," she said in a false whisper to Kira. "I'm pretty sure this will get you a pretty big ring from this guy over there," she said. Kira threw her a questioning gaze.

"I'm sorry?" She asked, confused. The nurse shrugged.

"Your cousin said you two just got engaged, I'm guessing no ring yet?" She asked.

"My who said we just got what?" Kira asked, shocked. Conner gave her hand a quick warning squeeze. The nurse frowned and walked around the bed to check on the morphine drip, worried Kira was getting too much and it was making her loopy.

"Oh honey I know you wanted to wait to make the big news known until we found the right ring," Conner said, giving Kira a pointed look. "But you know your cousin _Tommy_; he'd do anything to help us out, even if it means spilling the beans just so I can get in to see you." The news took a moment to sink in before Kira nodded.

"Typical Tommy." She replied, smiling softly. The nurse smiled at the couple and went back over to check on the IV at her other side.

"How does your chest feel?" She questioned as she looked at the IV drip.

"Pretty sore," Kira said. "And I'm trying to figure out why I've got these bandages…." she said, her voice trailing off. The nurse looked at her.

"Oh, yes, that. Well, there was a bit of a burn mark on your chest and the doctor needed to perform a skin graft." She frowned and looked at Conner. "Dr. Wells didn't mention it to you?" She asked. Before Conner could reply the nurse rolled her eyes. "Typical," she said, shaking her head. "He always just gives the bare basics and leaves everything else to us," she grumbled.

"Was...Was it a large area that was burned?" Kira questioned, still slightly in shock. The nurse nodded slightly.

"It was about the size of a football, give or take." She replied honestly. "But the plastic surgeon on call was able to graft some skin from your inner thigh on it and take care of it. You'll be fine," she assured her, giving her another warm smile. Kira's eyes widened.

"Oh good?" Kira replied, the question obvious in her tone. The nurse just laughed.

"Don't worry; you're going to be fine."

"Hey, think of it this way, at least you don't have butt skin on your chest," Conner joked, trying to lighten Kira's mood. Kira looked at him and chuckled a bit.

"Yeah, I guess I can be thankful for that," she said. The nurse smiled.

"There you go," she said. "Well, I'll give you two a some more time together, but we'll need to move her up to ICU in a little while," she said to Conner. Conner nodded.

"Thank you," he said. The nurse nodded and left the room. Kira waited until she was gone before looking at him.

"Okay, so I get why you became my fiancé," Kira chuckled. "But when did Tommy become my cousin?" She asked.

"They only give information to family members," Conner said. "When you were still in surgery and the doctor came out to see us, Tommy stepped up and told the little fib." Kira nodded.

"Makes sense I guess." She replied. "I don't think Trent or Ethan would've had the same success with that lie and I really don't think I'd want you to be my cousin," she giggled. Conner laughed.

"Probably not." He replied. Kira looked down for a moment as a thought occurred to her.

"Are the kids okay? I mean…If Vengakix came after me she could've-"

"They were here, they're okay," Conner assured her. She breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Thank god." She whispered.

"After you were taken to surgery, Ethan called them to be on alert for Vengakix…..We had our suspicions that was what happened," he said. "Apparently Vengakix got to Andy and Mia before Ethan could," he said. Kira looked at him. "They're okay," he said again. "But Vengakix ran her mouth off a bit and gave them the wrong idea."

"Meaning?" Kira asked.

"From what Mia was saying, sounds like Vengakix thinks she killed you…..And didn't stop herself from gloating with Mia and Andy." Kira's eyebrows went up.

"Well, that's…..lovely," she muttered. Conner nodded.

"You're telling me." He replied. "I'm just thankful that bitch wasn't right." Came the soft comment. Kira gently squeezed his hand.

"Ditto," she said.

"Thank god that none of the kids were hurt... If they would have been, Mia wouldn't have been able to give you 'a Buick's worth of blood'" Kira looked at him.

"Mia?" She asked, confused.

"The doctor told Tommy the hospital didn't have enough blood for you," he said. "Someone had to donate. You're O positive, she's O negative."

"Oh my god." She breathed out, shocking and incredibly grateful at Mia's donation. She looked over to the IV stand that held the blood packets. "She gave a lot, is she okay?"

"She was a little weak," Conner replied. "But between her two warring nursemaids, I'm sure she'll be fine," Conner stated. Kira laughed.

"I swear she has those boys wrapped around her finger." She commented. Conner shrugged.

"All I know is Andy and Christian practically fighting over Mia and Nathan trying to keep everything civil was getting old fast, we had to tell them to go home." Kira nodded, understanding.

"Poor Mia." She commented out loud. Conner opened his mouth to reply but the arrival of the nurse accompanied by a few orderlies stopped him.

"I'm sorry," the nurse said, giving an apologetic look to Conner. "We need to move her down to the ICU now," she said. Conner sighed, his head dropping down slightly.

"Of course." He replied.

"After she's settled in down there, you're welcome to stay with her," the nurse said, hoping that'd help. Conner nodded.

"Thank you," he said. He turned back to Kira and placed a quick kiss on her lips. "I'm going to go tell the others how you're doing and then we'll go see you in you're new room, okay?" He said. Kira nodded.

"Okay," she said, giving him a small smile. Conner smiled back at her and stood up, leaving the room so as to let the orderlies and nurse prepare to move her. He looked at the guys as he exited the room and waited until Kira and her entrouge had filed out of the room and headed towards the elevator before he spoke.

"Seems the Doc forgot to mention something about Kira having a skin graft done while she was in surgery." He commented. Tommy blinked and looked at him.

"Are you serious?!" He questioned. Conner nodded.

"She had a burn on her chest, they were able to take some skin from her thigh to graft over it but still," he said, shaking his head. "The nurse's been more helpful than the doctor, that's kind of sad." Ethan shrugged.

"That's usually the way it works though. I wouldn't have known that Shelly had given birth unless the nurse told me." He said. "More often than not, you want the story given to you straight, deal with a nurse. Interns are good in the way of actually seeming to care what's going on and giving you information, but sometimes they don't even know half the stuff that's going on," Ethan continued.

"Well that's good to know _now_." Trent replied. Tommy sighed.

"I should've asked for the whole story when he talked to me," Tommy said, shaking his head.

"It's not your fault," Ethan said.

"Well at least we wouldn't have gotten blindsided by it." Tommy replied.

"Let's just be glad she's okay," Conner said. He was too relieved that Kira looked to be alright to think about how much he wanted to wring Dr. Wells' neck. Ethan nodded.

"Conner's right. Kira's alive and is going to be fine...We can worry about kicking the Doc's ass later." Conner chuckled.

"Exactly," he said. "We should move downstairs to the ICU," he suggested. The group nodded as they headed towards the elevators.


	22. Chapter 22

Mia lay in her bed, staring up at her ceiling. After she, Nathan and Andy had left the others Andy had driven her home. Not wanting to go through the front and have anyone ask why Mia looked so weak or pale, Nathan and Andy helped her up the fire escape. Nathan crawled through her window first and helped Andy bring her in before the two helped her in bed. Andy had intended on staying with her but Mia, with the help of Nathan, got him to agree to leave. That had been over an hour ago and Mia had simply been lying in bed, staring at her ceiling deep in thought since the moment Nathan and Andy climbed out of her window. She'd been so deep in thought that she barely registered the knock on her window. It took another set of knocks to finally pierce through her thoughts. Mia blinked and looked over at the window to see Christian standing out on her balcony. She motioned for him to come in, which he did.

"Hey," she said softly as he pushed her window up and climbed in. "I'd get up but…..guess I'm still recovering," she said, giving a small smile. Christian looked over at her and nodded.

"Its fine," he said as he closed the window behind him and moved over to where she was lying. "I just wanted to come make sure you were okay." He kneeled down by the side of the bed. Mia smiled and reached toward him, her hand going to the side of his face as she gently stroked a tendril of hair that lay against his forehead.

"I'm great now," she said. Christian nodded, subtly shaking her hand away from his face.

"Good," he said.

"How are you?" She questioned. Christian shrugged.

"I'm fine," he said. Mia peered at him.

"Are you sure?" She asked. "You seem…..kind of weird," she admitted. "Tired?" She asked.

"I said I'm fine," Christian simply stated. Mia's brow furrowed slightly.

"Chris what's wrong?" She asked softly, sliding her hand into his.

"Nothing," Christian said. "So, I guess Andy's done with you for the day?" He asked coolly. Mia groaned and put her hand over her face.

"Oh god please let's not go there," she said. "I've had enough of this whole you versus Andy thing for one day."

"Oh yes, I forgot that it'd automatically be _my fault_ for fighting with Andy." He snapped. Mia jumped slightly at his tone. She looked up at him.

"Chris, I-"

"He's the one who was getting attitude with me," Christian stated. Mia closed her eyes and sighed lightly.

"I didn't mean to blame you...I'm sorry." She replied, sitting up. "I tried to get him to ease up, I-"

"Mia, he's never going to ease up," Christian said with an exasperated sigh.

"He might one day." She whispered, squeezing his hand lightly. Christian sighed and looked down.

"I can't just wait for one day," he said. He slid his hand away from hers and looked at her. "I really want to take things as they are, be patient. God, I even went to see Kira this morning for advice." Mia's eyes widened.

"You told Kira….about…us?" She asked. Christian sighed.

"I needed advice Mia... And she was the only logical person I could think of to talk to about us." He replied. "She…she said I should give you time and everything…." He shook his head. "But that's not as easy as I thought. I hated not being able to just go over and hold you the second I got to the hospital, just because Andy was there." Mia looked at him, trying to focus on breathing and keeping her voice steady.

"What are you saying?" She whispered. Christian looked away. Mia closed her eyes. "I see," she said. She swallowed thickly as a lump threatened to form in her throat. Christian cringed. He could tell the tears would be coming. "Well it was good while it lasted right?" Mia questioned as her voice cracked and the tears slipped over onto her cheeks. "All twenty four hours of it," she said with a harsh chuckle. Christian sighed. He couldn't bring himself to look at her.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I……" He closed his eyes. "I want to be with you," he said.

"Doesn't sound like it," Mia bit out.

"I want to be with you," Christian repeated. "But if you're just content sneaking around because you're too scared about what big bad Andy will say, then this won't work," he said. Mia sighed.

"Chris...It's complicated with Andy, you _know_ that." She told him. "But I do want to be with you. You're the one who said something's better than nothing….what changed?" She asked. Christian sighed.

"Because from what I saw at the hospital, it looks like every time Andy's around, that's all I'm going to have….nothing."

"That's not true," Mia insisted.

"Well, that's what it feels like," Christian replied. Mia sighed.

"I already know the outcome of telling Andy." She mused to herself. "He'll react just like he did yesterday."

"And you'll react the same exact way too," Christian muttered, remembering how much it hurt when she told Andy what they had done hadn't meant anything.

"I wouldn't," Mia said softly. Christian looked at her.

"Really?" He questioned, skeptical. "Mia, Andy is 'your best friend in the entire world'... You wouldn't throw that away." Mia sighed, looking down.

"You're right, I don't _want_ to throw it away……but if he can throw it away just because he can't approve of who I'm dating," she sighed, giving a defeated shrug. "What can I do?"

"And what was yesterday? You just playing around?" Christian asked, still unconvinced. Mia sighed again.

"Chris, what do you want me to say? He….he caught me off guard when he said all that, I panicked."

"How do I know that you're not going to panic again?" He asked curiously.

"Because I hurt you yesterday," she replied. "And I…" She sighed, wiping at a tear and shaking her head. "I don't want to ever do that again," she said in a shy whisper. Christian blinked and looked at her.

"Do you mean that?" He asked, surprised and touched. Mia rolled her eyes.

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it," she said.

"I...I don't know what to say." He replied honestly, suddenly at a loss for words that Mia was actually willing to tell Andy where to go in order to be with him. "You'd really drop Andy…for me?" He asked, still having a hard time believing it. Mia shook her head.

"I don't _want_ to drop anyone," she sighed. "But if he's so willing to drop me, then…" she shrugged again. "What choice do I have? Give in to Andy's tantrums and just forget what's gone on between us?" Mia looked down. "I wish everyone could just…..get along and be happy…." She muttered. Christian rubbed her back affectionately.

"I know you do...But it's just not possible." He replied. Mia leaned into his touch.

"What do you want me to do?" She asked. Christian sighed.

"Don't ask me that," he said. He reached over with his free hand and took hold of one of hers. "If I'm worth telling Andy to get lost for, I think I'd lose some of that value by telling you what to do," he said, giving her a small smile.

"But if this isn't working for you, I…." Mia sighed. "I want to make this work," she said in a definite tone. Christian's smile grew. It warmed his heart to hear her say all these things. She wanted him. She was willing to throw caution to the wind when it came to Andy just to be with him. But even through how much her words affected him, he could see the confusion in her eyes. She was afraid to push Andy away. He could almost understand it given the conversation he had had with Kira. Andy had been a constant presence in her life for fifteen years and the idea of not having that scared her, but she was willing to do it, for him.

"I can deal," he finally said after a long moment. Mia looked at him, shaking her head.

"No, you can't," she sighed. "It bothers you and-"

"Yeah, well it'll bother me even more to see you hurting if Andy gets all ultimatum-y on you again," Christian replied honestly.

"So, what do we do?" Mia asked, not bothering to deny his claim that the loss of her best friend would affect her. Christian looked at her and slowly moved from his kneeling position to sit beside her on the bed, closing the space between them.

"We take some time," he said.

"Some time? Some time what? Apart?" She asked. Christian shook his head.

"No….we just…..Keep doing what we've been doing today….." He shrugged. "Maybe I'm wrong and whatever stick that's up Andy's ass will fall out or something after some time." Mia giggled at that. "But…if it's not out after too much time…"

"And what do you consider too much time?" Mia asked. Christian looked at her.

"Well, let's just say I won't be too pleased if prom comes around and we're still sneaking around," he said in a soft tone. Mia bit her lip, smiling a bit.

"That's nearly a year away," she pointed out. "You can do a year?" She asked.

"Not really," Christian replied honestly. Mia leaned against him.

"This will work out." She commented. Christian moved his hand from her back to wrap it around her, holding her close to him. The two fell into a comfortable silence for a bit before Mia spoke.  
"September." She muttered. Christian looked down at her. "Is….September okay?" She asked. Christian was quiet for a moment as he processed what she was saying. "Give Andy a few months to see you're a great person on his own, and if he doesn't it's his loss…" She went on, letting her voice trail off. Christian though about it for a few minutes before nodding.

"I can live with that, yes." He replied. Mia looked at him.

"Are you sure?" She asked "If it's too long, we can-" Christian silenced her with a soft kiss.

"It's okay," he told her. "As long as I know this whole secret stuff will at some point end, I can handle it," he said. Mia smiled and snuggled against him.

"Good." she replied. Christian nodded and held her even closer, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"Have you gotten any sleep?" Christian asked, worried that she was still weak from giving blood. Mia rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine," she said.

"You still look a little pale." He commented. Mia sighed.

"I feel fine," she said. "Sometimes it takes a little longer for color to return, that's all," she insisted.

"You should eat something," Christian replied.

"Don't worry, Nathan and Andy made sure to pack up all those sugary treats in my purse," she said.

"I mean eat something that didn't come out of a vending machine," Christian chuckled. Mia shrugged.

"I'm honestly not hungry." She replied.

"Maybe, but having some protein or iron in you might make you feel better," Christian said.

"But I feel fine," Mia replied. She sighed and snuggled into his embrace some more. "Quit worrying about me." Christian curled his arms around her tightly.

"I can't help but worry." He replied gently. Mia smirked.

"What if I did something to take your mind off of worrying?" She asked. Christian chuckled.

"I thought there was that clothes stay in place rule," he replied. Mia giggled.

"Not that, horn dog," she said. She leaned up and captured his lips in a long kiss. After a few moments Christian pulled away.

"Hmm...That I can live with." He replied. Mia smiled.

"Well, that's good," she said, kissing his neck. Christian smiled and shifted on her bed so her back was on the bed and he was leaning over her. Mia grinned and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"And you say I'm the one who likes being on top?" She gently teased. Christian smiled as he kissed her softly.

"I like being in charge sometimes." He chuckled. Mia bit her lip.

"Oh really?" She asked in an innocent tone.

"Uh huh." He replied, kissing her again. Mia sighed.

"Well, I guess you can be in charge this once," she teased. Christian grinned.

"How nice of you." He replied. Mia giggled.

"Well, I am a nice girl," she said.

"That you are." He muttered huskily as his hand traveled up her side, slightly skimming over the side of her breast as he pressed his lips to hers. Mia gave a soft sigh.

"You're making that clothes rule really hard to keep," she whispered, kissing the side of his neck.

"Do you want to stop?" He asked. Mia looked up at him, biting her lip for a moment before shaking her head.

"No, I really don't." She replied.

"Positive?" He asked. Mia nodded. "Alright then," he said, smiling gently. He leaned in and kissed her. Christian let his hand freely travel up and down her side while the other rested on her hip. Mia tightened her hold on his shoulders and kissed him deeply when the hand on her hip slid down her leg, lightly touching the skin from where her shorts ended to her knee, leaving a trail of warmth in its wake.

"You certainly have fun doing that, don't you?" Mia teased. Christian grinned as he kissed her softly.

"Of course I do."

"And it wouldn't have anything to do with how heat effects blood circulation, now would it?" She teased. Christian chuckled.

"Hey, if I can touch you and help you feel better while I'm at it, why not?" He replied with a wink. "Sounds like a win-win situation," he grinned. Mia gave him a little shove.

"That sounds so dirty." She laughed. Christian chuckled.

"Is that a bad thing?" He asked. Mia giggled.

"Not necessarily," she replied. He grinned slightly.

"Good." He replied. His hand continued to travel up and down her leg while the other slipped under the hem of her shirt, warming as it touched her side as he resumed kissing her. Mia let out a soft moan as her skin began to warm up slightly. Christian smiled and let his hand travel up her side, letting it brush past her breast.

"I'm thinking this is more for your benefit than mine," Mia giggled. Christian grinned slightly as his hand brushed against her again.

"Maybe." He replied huskily. He boldly cupped the breast in his hand, causing Mia to moan, arching her back a bit. "But it doesn't seem like you're not enjoying yourself," he teased. Mia nipped at her neck.

"Did I say I wasn't enjoying myself?" She questioned in a low tone.

"No, you didn't." He replied. Mia giggled and nipped at his neck again. Christian grinned and continued touching her.

"Hang on," Mia said, pushing him back for a moment. Christian furrowed his brows but sat back.

"Something wrong?" He asked. Mia shook her head and sat up.

"No, just figured I'd rather not have you burn through my underwear again," she teased as she reached behind her back, her hands slipping under her shirt as she unhooked her bra. Christian raised an eyebrow.

"Huh, this is new... Voluntary removal of clothing." He grinned.

"Well it's either that or throw out another bra," she said, sticking her tongue out at him as she slipped one bra strap off her arm and repeated the action on the other side, pulling the under garment out through the armhole of her tank top. Christian watched as she tossed it away.

"Lace eh?" He questioned as it hit her desk chair. Mia blushed.

"I bought it on a dare when Lucy and I were shopping a few months ago... One of those 'Maybe I'll wear this if...' pieces." She muttered. Christian grinned and drew closer to her.

"If what?" He teased against her lips. Mia bit her lip, blushing still.

"If any boy got as far as you did." She whispered. "Ya know," she shrugged. "Who wasn't my gay best friend," she chuckled. Christian smiled and kissed her gently.


	23. Chapter 23

"So you were planning on seeing me today?" He asked innocently.

"Was hoping," she said with a small shrug, her blush still present. Christian grinned.

"Well," He replied kissing her deeply. "That is a _very_ sexy item of clothing... Are there any others?" He questioned, the huskiness in his tone. Mia's blush intensified.

"Maybe, maybe not," she replied innocently.

"Hmm..." He trailed off, both his hands sliding to her hips. Mia smiled.

"Guess you'll just have to wait and find out for yourself," she said, pressing her lips to the corner of his mouth. Christian snorted slightly.

"I don't like waiting." he replied. Mia smiled and moved to straddle his lap, putting her arms around his neck.

"Perhaps," she said, kissing his cheek. "But where's the fun in having too much of a good thing too soon?" She asked demurely. Christian smiled as his hands slipped under her shirt as they moved up her back.

"And you're a good thing?" He asked, gently kissing and nipping at her neck. Mia giggled as she tilted her head back to give him better access to her neck.

"You tell me," she replied.

"Hmm, guess you're okay," he chuckled against her skin.

"Hmm...Just okay?" She questioned, sliding her hands over his shoulders. "You might want to change your answer if you ever want to find out if anything else has lace on it." She muttered huskily as she bit his earlobe gently. Christian retaliated with a gentle bite on her neck.

"I'll take that into consideration," he replied.

"Fine, then I guess I'll just take the lace issue into consideration," she commented. "Very long, drawn out consideration." Christian groaned into her neck.

"Not fair." He muttered. Mia giggled.

"Who said dating me would be fair?" She questioned.

"Nobody... But you know I don't really play fair." He replied, sliding his hands down to the top of her jeans. His fingers brushed past an unmistakable texture underneath her shorts, causing him to chuckle against her skin. "Well there's something else with lace on it," he said with a husky teasing tone. Mia squirmed slightly.

"You're not supposed to know that." She muttered, blushing furiously. Christian grinned, bringing his face up from her neck to look at her.

"Why not?" He asked.

"It was supposed to be a surprise." She replied, her blush intensifying.

"Oh?" He asked. Mia nodded.

"Yeah." She replied. Christian smiled as he kissed her softly.

"What kind of surprise?" He asked. Mia bit her lip and gave a shy shrug.

"A surprising surprise," she mumbled lamely. Christian laughed as he kissed her cheek.

"Would it be wrong of me to ask to have that surprise now?" He questioned. Mia shook her head.

"Not now," she said, her blush growing redder by the minute. "You ruined the surprise."

"I'm sorry for ruining your surprise." He replied, placing feather light kisses down her neck. "But I promise to be good if I can have it." Mia sighed as her head pondered what to say next. She didn't have long to ponder as her phone went off in her bag. Christian groaned.

"I should get that," Mia said, going to get up and get her bag.

"Whoever it is can just leave a message," he said, holding her to him. Mia looked at him.

"What if it's Ethan with news on Kira?" She asked. Christian sighed.

"Fine," he said, pulling his hands from her. "But if it's Andy and you say I'm your cousin Veronica again, I'm bailing," he muttered. Mia kissed him softly before rolling off him and her bed to grab her phone. She flipped it open to answer the call.

"Hello?" She said.

"Hey, just thought you'd want an update on the recipient of that 'Buick's worth of blood," came the reply as Ethan's voice came on the line.

"How's she doing?" Mia demanded.

"She's alright," Ethan replied. "They moved her into the ICU just as a precautionary measure due to her broken ribs and the skin graft."

"….ICU? Skin graft?" Mia breathed out.

"Like I said, precautionary measure, and yeah, skin graft," Ethan replied.

"They never said anything about that while we were there." Mia commented, slightly angry. Ethan sighed.

"Don't even get me started on that," he said. "Anyway, but like I said, she's alright. She's conscious, talking, will be taking solid foods at some point this evening when they feed her. She isn't allowed to move too much of course, but other than that, she's okay." Mia sighed happily.

"That's good to hear...How long do they plan on keeping her?"

"I'm not too sure. Tommy's raising hell to get a new doctor for his 'cousin' since Dr. Wells is the dumbass who forgot to mention the skin graft, so updates are a little scarce right now," Ethan replied. "I'd imagine at least a week though," he added. "And then strictly enforced bed rest for some time once she does get home."

"Understandable." She replied. "So, she's really okay?"

"Yeah, she's really okay," Ethan replied.

"That's good to know...Call me if there's any changes." Mia told him.

"Sure," Ethan said. "By the way, how are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm alright," Mia replied, shrugging a bit out of reflex.

"You sure?" He questioned. Mia sighed.

"I swear to god that the next person who asks me, is going to get punched." She replied. Ethan laughed.

"Well it's a good thing we're talking on the phone then," he said. "So, are you sure you're alright?" He asked.

"Expect a punch the next time you see me," she replied in a mock sweet tone. Ethan just laughed in response.

"Well if you're well enough to threaten violence, that's alright," he said.

"Good to know." She muttered. "So everything else is fine then?"

"Yeah," Ethan said.

"Alright then," she said. "Bye."

"Well aren't you abrupt," Ethan chuckled. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Sorry was in the middle of getting some of my summer reading list done," she fibbed. "You caught me at a really interesting plot twist."

"Oh, what are you reading?" Ethan questioned. Mia glared sideways at the phone.

"Annoying people and phone calls...Its great, you should pick it up...Bye Ethan." She replied sweetly before hanging up and turning her phone off. She tossed the phone onto her dresser and turned back to Christian.

"Everything okay?" Christian asked. Mia nodded.

"Yeah, sounds like it," she said.

"Well that's good." He replied. He got up from the bed and strode over to her, putting his arms around her waist. "Now then," he said, lowering his head to her neck and placing light kisses along the side. "Where were we?"

"Hmmm...I don't seem to remember." She replied, leaning against him. Christian moved his hands around to Mia's stomach.

"Let me remind you." He replied huskily as the stopped at the top of her shorts. Mia giggled.

"Hold that thought for one second." She said as she walked towards her bedroom door and locked it. "There we go." She replied, smiling as she sauntered back towards him. Once she was within reach Christian wrapped his arms her waist and crushed her body to his.

"Hmm...Someone's impatient." Mia muttered as she kissed him. Christian moved his hands down her waist until they rested right at the back of her thighs.

"You could say that," he replied in a husky tone before pressing his lips to hers and lifting her up. Mia gave a surprised squeak against his lips as her legs wrapped around his waist and she held onto his shoulders. Christian grinned and slowly walked over to her bed, placing light kisses along her jaw with every step he took. He pulled back slightly as his legs hit the side of her bed.

"So how about that surprise?" He questioned. Mia pursed her lips as the blush returned to her cheeks.

"You'll have to put me down for that...And you'll need to um, kinda lose your clothes." She muttered, still blushing furiously.

"Oh, so it's that sort of surprise," Christian breathed out, his stomach suddenly feeling like a butterfly shelter and a faint blush appeared on his cheeks as well. Mia laughed awkwardly as Christian set her down.

"If that's okay with you." She replied.

"Yeah….it's okay," Christian said lamely, chuckling a bit. "It's more than okay…..just….um…..are you sure?" He asked. "I mean, I guess I was sort of figuring you'd want to wait or something." Mia a small shrug.

"It's not like we waited to do yesterday's antics," she said. "I mean….if you don't want to….we don't…"

"No no." He replied, dropping his head slightly and kissing her gently. "I want to." Mia smiled.

"Great," she said. She paused. "Oh," she said, pulling back a bit.

"Something wrong?" Christian asked.

"No," she said. "Just," she began, taking a step back. "Just wait right there, I'll be right back," she said before going to her door, unlocking it, pulling it open and exiting the room. Christian furrowed his brows in confusion as he watched her leave. He shrugged and sat down on the edge of her bed to remove his shoes. Outside, Mia quickly sprinted to the bathroom she shared with Lucy. She quickly went over to the counter and yanked the top drawer open, giving a surprise yelp as the drawer fell out of the counter from the force of her pull. Mia rolled her eyes and set the drawer on the floor, emptying it out until all the contents were lying on the floor beside it. Once the drawer was open, she wedged her nail at the edge of it and tugged to reveal a false bottom to the drawer. She pulled the covering up to get to the secret compartment of the drawer, where a few small boxes of condoms lay hidden.

When the brother's had moved out and taken their respective secret condom stashes with them, Mia and Lucy, who had lost her virginity the night of her junior prom, needed to have their own stash of protection now that they could no longer secretly swipe from their brothers'. The girls were thankful that in the apartment their parents had their own bathroom connected to the master bedroom, meaning their bathroom made a good enough hiding place for their shared stash. Of course, they knew there was a chance the parents could come in the bathroom anyway, so they created the false bottom to the drawer for added secrecy. For the most part it had become more so Lucy's stash since Mia had not been with anyone since Andy, but that was about to change. Mia grabbed one of the boxes and pressed the false bottom back into the drawer before putting all the items back in.

"What are you doing?" Came a voice. Mia gasped and turned towards the door, afraid she'd been caught by her parents or one of the guys. She let out a relieved sigh to see it was just Lucy.

"Nothing," she said, picking the drawer up from the counter to put it back in place. Lucy's eye's narrowed.

"If I happen to check the false bottom of that drawer...Am I going to have to replenish anything?" She questioned. Mia frowned and stood up, slipping the box in her pocket as she did.

"They're not just yours," she muttered. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Oh using them as water balloons to throw them off the balcony with Andy again? So mature," she said.

"Who said I'm going to use them as water balloons?" Mia muttered. "Or that I'm with Andy?" She added, confidently tilting her head. Lucy's eyebrows rose. Mia rolled her eyes and went to walk past her sister to return to Christian. Lucy quickly grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Please don't tell me you're going to…" she began, letting her voice trail off, "with that motorcycle riding meathead," she hissed.

"He's not a meathead Lucy." Mia replied. Lucy shook her head.

"Angie, c'mon," she insisted. "Who knows what he's done, and more importantly, who with. You can't honestly-"

"Lucy, I do believe we instilled a 'don't ask don't tell' policy with these babies," Mia cut in, patting the box in her pocket. "So please kindly let go of my arm." Lucy dropped her sister's arm and shook her head.

"Fine...But don't say I didn't warn you." She replied. She sighed. "And don't worry, mom, dad and the guys are all busy downstairs, so…..no need to worry about them….hearing anything or whatever," she said. "And I'll keep this under sister/sister confidentiality." Mia smiled and placed a sisterly kiss on Lucy's cheek.

"Thanks, Luce," she said, passing by her to go back to her room. She turned back to her and gave a small grin. "Details later, I promise," she said with a wink. Lucy laughed, gently shaking her head at her sister.

"I should hope so," she said. Mia quickly hurried back to her room, closing and relocking the door behind her as she entered. She faced the door for a moment, making sure the door was securely locked before turning to Christian.

"Okay, we-" She stopped at the sight that awaited her when she turned to face him. While she was gone, Christian had stripped down to her boxers and was now sitting on the edge of her bed. Mia blinked, her cheeks once again blushing furiously. "Oh, wasted no time I see," she muttered awkwardly. Christian gave her a half smile while chuckling awkwardly.

"I figured it'd be easier." He replied. Mia bit her lip, nodding a bit.

"Yeah, that…that makes sense," she said. She brought her eyes back to him and tried her best to throw him a confident smile. Christian stood up and walked over to where Mia was standing. He gently put a hand on her arm, rubbing it softly.

"You okay?" He questioned. Mia nodded.

"Yeah, sorry," she said, her blush increasing. "Just….um….nervous…..as stupid as that sounds." She couldn't understand why she felt so nervous. It wasn't as if she had never been in such a position before. But, her mind reason, her only other experience was with Andy…and it was a different context. They were younger, more so exploring and experimenting than expressing desires. Christian placed an affectionate kiss on her forehead.

"We don't have to do this if you're not ready." He replied. Mia shook her head.

"No….no, it's not that," she said.

"Mia." He said, tipping her chin up slightly with his fingers. "You have nothing to be nervous about." He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Mia sighed and rested her forehead against his shoulder once the kiss ended.

"Yeah, I know," she said. "I mean, it's not like I'm some silly little virgin or something," she said, giving a lame chuckle. "It's just……um….different," she admitted in a quiet voice. Christian chuckled.

"You're telling me." He muttered. Mia gave a small chuckle and looked up at him.

"Doing this isn't going to bring you to the startling realization that you're gay, is it?" She teased. Christian snorted and slid his arms around her.

"I seriously doubt it," he replied. Mia grinned as she slipped her arms around his neck.

"Thank _god_." She replied. Christian laughed and tightened his hold on her; he paused when he felt something protruding from her pocket.

"What's this?" He asked, reaching into the pocket and pulling out the box. Mia blushed and looked away, lowering one of her arms to snatch the box away from him before he could bring it up to his line of vision.

"You know the saying, no glove no love," she muttered. Christian grinned as he laughed and kissed her.

"You, are too cute...And very well prepared." He replied. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," she muttered, feeling a little embarrassed for some reason. "Um….So….I guess we should….just….um," she rolled her eyes at her own stammering. Christian smiled softly as he put his hands on her hips and tugged lightly at her shirt.

"May I?" He asked. Mia gently bit her lip before giving him a small nod.

"Um, yeah," she said. He slowly slid the shirt until he reached the underside of her breasts.

"Ready?" He questioned softly. Mia just nodded as she lifted her arms over her head. Mia closed her eyes and blew out a small breath to settle her nerves as she felt him delicately pull her tank top up the rest of the way. Once the tank had been removed from her arms, Christian gently tossed it away and placed his hands gently onto Mia's waist. Mia opened her eyes and looked up at him, bringing her hands back down to rest on his shoulders. She leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips. She felt one of Christian's hands slide around, resting on her back and pulling her closer to him.

"Should we….um…..move this over to…?" She let her voice trail off as her head gestured behind him, indicating her bed. Christian gave her a soft smile.

"If you want to," he said. Mia gave a soft nod.

"Yeah." She replied. Christian smiled and nodded.

"Okay," he said. He moved one arm up to her shoulders while the other went down to her legs before he scooped her up in her arms. Mia giggled and wrapped her arms around her neck.

"Cute." She replied as she pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Glad you think so," Christian grinned. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before carrying her over to the bed. He set her down on the bed gently before he slid down next to her. He reached over and took the small box from her hand. He chuckled a bit as he saw she had brought a full and sealed box. "How many of these do you think we're going to end up using?" He teased. Mia blushed.

"Hey, it's better to have too many than not enough," she giggled. Christian grinned.

"Very true." He replied, kissing her deeply. Mia responded to the kiss, slipping her arms back around his shoulders as she lay back on the bed, pulling him on top of her. Christian smiled; glad to see she seemed to be shedding her nervousness. He let the box rest on the bed as his hands went to her hips, his thumbs running gentle circles at her sides as his hands rested on the side of her jeans. He slowly pulled out of the kiss and looked at her.

"Kinda need to take your shorts off." He commented, giving her a wink. Mia giggled.

"Oh, I thought you just burned through any articles of clothing that were in your way," she teased. Christian chuckled.

"I would, but right now I don't think I'd be able to control it and with my luck end up setting your whole bed on fire. I really don't think you'd like that," he said. Mia giggled again.

"No, I wouldn't," she replied as she slowly dropped her hands to her waist and undid the button to her jean shorts, slowly sliding them down her legs. Once she reached her knees, Christian all but ripped them off her legs. Mia gave a laugh as he fired them away from the bed before settling next to her again.

"Well that's different." She commented, rolling onto her side and kissing him. Christian grinned as his hands slid behind Mia and down her back before coming to a rest on her backside and cupping it lightly.

"Hmm... Lacy boy shorts... How very sexy." He muttered huskily. Mia giggled and pressed her lips to his chin.

"Glad you like 'em," she replied before catching his lips in a slow kiss.

"Oh I don't like them... I love them." He growled. Mia sighed, an excited shiver running through her at the tone of his voice.

"I'll remember that," came her husky reply.

"You know what I would love more though?" He questioned, sliding his hands under the lacy material. Mia sucked in a breath and arched against him.

"What?" She whispered softly. Christian kissed her neck gently.

"If they were gone." Mia smiled.

"So cheesy," she chuckled. "And I believe you need to lose a little something too," she teased.

"Oh that can be done very easily." He replied.

"Oh really?" She questioned. Christian nodded as he removed his hands from her behind and slowly began to push his boxers down his legs. Mia kept her eyes trained on Christian's face as he pushed his last article of clothing down to his ankles before kicking it away. He looked back up at her and kissed her gently, cupping her face with his hands. Mia smiled against his lips as her hand reached behind her to find the abandoned box. She pulled away from the kiss and held the box up as she attentively tore open one of the ends. Christian raised his eyebrows at the though of Mia doing what he figured she was about to.

"Um, I can do that." He blushed. Mia looked over at him and gave a small shrug.

"Okay," she said, handing the box over to him. He took the box from her and slowly pulled one of the foil packages out.

"Hmm, maybe you should take off yours while I handle this." He teased. Mia giggled.

"I suppose," she said. Her hands went to the waist band of her underwear. She blushed and shyly shifted on the bed as she slid the lacy material down her legs. Christian tried to busy himself with putting the condom on and not watch and Mia pushed her last item of clothing off herself. "You seem a little distracted," Mia teased. Christian snorted.

"Just a little." He replied as he finally pulled the condom on. He tossed the box and empty foil wrapping aside before pulling her back in his arms. "It's hard not to be when you're around." Mia blushed.

"Didn't realize I was such a distraction." She replied. Christian smiled.

"You're a pleasant distraction," he said in a soft, almost whisper like, tone. Mia blushed.

"Good to know." She replied softly. Christian leaned into her and placed a delicate kiss on her lips. It started off innocent but soon escalated into a passionate lip-lock, their tongues moving against one another in a frenzied dance. After a while Christian broke the kiss off, his eyes meeting hers.

"Ready?" He asked. Mia nodded before placing a light kiss on his jaw. Christian smiled as he rolled her onto her back and straddled her hips. Mia smiled up at him, her hand gently stroking the side of his face. Christian smile softly as he kissed her softly. He slowly pulled her legs up so that they were bent slightly at the knee, before positioning himself between them. "Ready?" He whispered. Mia gave him a warm smile as her hands slid up his arms and slipped around his shoulders.

"I'm as ready as I was five seconds ago when you asked," she said in a soft teasing tone. Christian blushed.

"Just making sure you didn't change your mind." He replied gently.

"I'd have to be several kinds of stupid to do that," she whispered against his lips before giving him a light leisurely peck. He laughed lightly in response.

"Glad you think so," he said.

"I know so," Mia replied, kissing him again. "Now quit stalling," she teased, giving his lower lip a playful bite. Christian grinned.

"If you're sure." He teased as he positioned himself above her.

"I'm sure," came her soft reply. Christian nodded. He placed a long, passionate kiss on her lips as he slowly entered her. Mia gave a small gasp at the feeling. Her legs tightened around him and held him closer to her. Christian's lips moved down from her lips to her jaw before descending to her neck, kissing the soft skin as he moved above her at a gentle pace. Mia closed her eyes, moaning gently as her hips gave a small jerk beneath him.

"Are you okay?" Christian whispered as he continued to move in and out of her. Mia moaned and gave a quick nod.

"More than okay," she replied. Christian smiled as he slowly began to pick up the pace of his thrusts. "Oh god," Mia whispered, her back arching beneath him. Christian slid his arms beneath her as she arched and lowered himself on top of her. He kissed her neck softly as the trusts came quicker and quicker. Mia's nails dug into the skin of his shoulders as she tossed her head back on her pillow, biting her lip. Christian closed his eyes and grunted against her neck. The voracity in his thrusts increased as the pace quickened even more. Mia bit her lip, her legs tightening around him till her ankles hooked together.

The pair moved against each other as their hands caressed and brushed past any parts of skin they could get to, their passions mounting. Mia could feel herself edging closer and closer to her climax as a low moan slipped through her lips. Christian pressed his forehead against her shoulder, his panting breaths hitting her skin as he felt his own climax nearing. Much like all the other times Mia had been in the troughs of passion since the first moment Christian had touched her, Mia gasped and panted as Spanish whispers drifted out of her mouth. By this time Christian had come to the realization that Mia's bilingual nature was a sign of her impending climax, he grinned against her shoulder and continued his thrusting.

Mia jerked below him, a tiny shriek leaking out of her mouth. Her body became taut and her toes curled tightly into her feet as her climax crashed down on her. She moaned, burying her face against the side of his neck as she rode out the waves of pleasure coursing through her. Christian grinned as her body went limp against his. The movements of her climaxing body were enough to hurl him over the edge. His eyes squeezed shut as one final grunt escaped his lips. He collapsed on top of Mia, breathing heavily as he tried to catch his breath. Mia sighed as the two slipped into a delicate post coital ecstasy. Her hands idly slid along his shoulders as her eyes drifted shut and a sleepy smile came to her lips.

"Okay," she said. "I think I can definitely say I've never had better," she said with a breathy giggle. Christian chuckled as he slowly slid out of her and rolled onto his back.

"Likewise." He murmured. Mia pouted, a small dissatisfied whimper coming out of her at the lost of his body on hers. She pushed herself onto her side and rested her head on his chest. Christian laughed as she wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"I don't recall saying you could move," she teased. Christian smiled and slipped one arm around her as the other gently toyed with the back of her ponytail.

"Sorry," he said. "Didn't know I needed permission."

"Well, you do," she said with a small grin. Christian grinned as he pulled the elastic out of her hair.

"Next time, I'll be sure and ask." He replied as he kissed her forehead.

"You do that," she said, her voice coming out in an almost purr-like sound as he began to run his fingers through her now loose hair. Mia sighed contently. "That was perfect." She commented out loud. Christian brushed a gentle kiss on her forehead, letting his lips linger on her skin as his nose nuzzled against her hairline. "Really, really perfect," Mia added around a tiny yawn. Christian smiled as she yawned.

"I can see that I wore you out." He teased lightly. Mia rolled her eyes as one of her hands slipped down to his stomach, her fingers gently caressing his scar.

"Don't get too proud of yourself," she said. "I did donate a ton of blood today, so I was already pretty tired before we even started anything," she said with a small grin, not about to let him know that he had in fact worn her out. Christian looked at her.

"You said you were okay though." He replied, worry filling his tone. Mia sighed and tilted her head up so their eyes could meet.

"I am okay," she said. "I'm just playing around," she said with a small smile. "Couldn't let you get too much of an ego inflation now could I?" She asked.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Christian asked, the worry not leaving his tone. Mia sighed.

"Did you not hear the threat I gave to Ethan?" She asked. Christian sighed.

"Right right, I'm sorry." He replied. Mia smiled and placed a gentle kiss on his chest.

"I'm fine," she assured him. "More than fine, actually," she added, giving him a sideways grin. Christian grinned down at her.

"Well that's good to know." He replied. Mia smiled and laid her head back down on his chest as her fingers continued to idly brush past his scar. She closed her eyes as another yawn escaped her lips. Christian smiled and gently stroked the back of her head. "You should get some sleep," he suggested. Mia shook her head no.

"Too content to sleep." She replied. Christian smiled.

"Maybe so," he said. "But this yawning thing is starting to make me feel paranoid and think that I'm boring you or something," he joked, chuckling gently. Mia laughed lightly.

"You could never bore me." She replied. Christian smiled.

"Glad to hear that," he said. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Mmmmhmm." She replied. Her fingers etched small circles around his scar as her eyelids began to droop slightly. Christian gave her shoulder a slightly squeeze.

"You really should get some sleep." He murmured gently.

"I suppose you're right," she mumbled around a small yawn. She bit her lip and tilted her head up to look at him. "Will you be here when I wake up?" She asked. He leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to her lips.

"I'm not going anywhere." He replied. Mia smiled.

"Good," she said, resting her head back on his chest. Christian smiled. He sat up, making her slip off of him. She fixed him with a questioning look that disintegrated into a soft smile as she saw him take hold of the blankets she had kicked to the end of the bed when she woke up that morning. He pulled the blankets up their bodies as he moved to lay back down, gathering her back in his arms and letting her resume her previous position. She snuggled deep into his embrace before letting her eyes gently close. Christian tightened his hold on her with one arm while the hand of his other arm gently tucked the blanket around her. He placed his head gently on top of hers before letting his eyes drift shut as well. "Did I wear you out?" Mia mumbled tiredly, her eyes still closed. Christian opened his eyes and chuckled.

"Yeah," he said, brushing his lips across her forehead. Mia gave a sleepy smile.

"Good," she said, giving one more yawn before drifting off to sleep. Christian smiled and closed his eyes again.


	24. Chapter 24

Andy smiled as his finger idly skimmed along the row of books situated in the bookcase in Nathan's room. The day before, when he and Nathan had come into the house—ideally to get Nathan's beach gear—Andy was too busy touching and kissing Nathan to really notice the aesthetics of his room.

"Read much?" He questioned as he glanced over the titles. Nathan gave a soft awkward chuckle from his spot on his bed watching Andy.

"A person can never have too many books," he replied with a small shrug. Andy nodded.

"True, true." He commented as he continued to glance around his room. He walked over to the large window where Nathan had a telescope set up. "So," he said with a small teasing tone as he glanced through the telescope, "is this purely for astrological purposes or is it to spy on your neighbors too?" He grinned, turning to look at Nathan. Nate blushed.

"Maybe a little bit of both." He muttered. Andy chuckled and walked over to the bed, sitting down beside Nathan.

"I see," he said. "So you're not as innocent as you seem," he teased. The blush on Nate's face just intensified.

"I think yesterday's antics did away with that," he mumbled. Andy grinned.

"I bet they did." Andy commented huskily. He pressed his lips to Nathan's as his hand slid up his leg. He felt Nathan shudder below him as Andy slowly moved his hand under his shirt. "Something wrong?" He asked in an innocent tone, grinning against Nathan's lips. Nathan shook his head.

"N…No," he stammered.

"Good." Andy replied as he kissed Nathan deeper. Nathan moved his hands up to Andy's shoulders, his fingers tangling in his hair.

"You sure your parents won't be home anytime soon?" Andy whispered between kisses. Nathan's heart skipped a beat at what that question implied. The day before the pair had moved forward in their brand new relationship but stayed on the somewhat innocent side of the line. Nathan had been to shy to go beyond anything underneath clothing, which Andy understood and was more than happy to work around. Nathan felt a little bolder today as Andy's other hand gently slid up his pant leg.

"They're doing some couple weekend over at some resort in Turtle Cove," Nathan replied. "They won't be back until tomorrow night." Andy grinned and let his hand move up to the button of his jeans.

"Excellent," he said, popping the button open. Nathan grinned shyly as the blush reappeared on his cheeks.

"It is?" He questioned. Andy grinned as he pushed Nathan's jeans down.

"Oh yes, it is," he said as his hand moved over the front of Nathan's boxers. Nathan bit his lip and shifted a bit on the bed with nervous excitement.

"Oh," he muttered lamely. Andy's grin widened.

"You're so adorable," he murmured as he pressed his lips to Nathan's again. Nathan chuckled lightly as he kissed Andy back.

"So glad you find anxiety to be adorable," he muttered. Andy chuckled.

"On you? Definitely," he said, lightly nipping at Nathan's lower lip as his hands moved to his leg, slowly slipping up the leg hole of Nathan's boxers. Nathan's eyes drifted shut, eagerly awaiting to see where that hand would end up.

"I don't see why we had to leave," came a voice from outside the house as a car door slammed. "So they mixed up our reservation, they still gave us a more than acceptable room." Another car door was heard slamming, albeit much harder than the first door.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into staying one night in that travesty called a suite," came the hissed reply. Nathan's eyebrows shot up as his entire body went tense.

"Oh no." He muttered. Andy chuckled.

"It's okay, it's your first time doing this sort of thing," he murmured, assuming Nathan was getting more excited than one would expect before even being touched. Nathan rolled his eyes and pulled away from him.

"No, not that," he said. "For the record, I don't have a problem with…..that…" He added with a sharp defensive look. "My parents are home," he said. Andy's eyebrows shot up.

"Uh oh." He replied in a similar manner. The sound of the front door opening and closing sprang the two into action as Nathan scrambled on the bed to get his pants back up and Andy moved back to give him room to do so.

"Nathan honey, are you home?" Mrs. Smith's called out from the main level of the house.

"Of course he's home," came Mr. Smith's reply. "Where else would he be?" He said. Andy frowned at the slight sneer he detected in the tone. He shook it off, chalking it up to just it seeming like that due to the voice coming from a distance and behind the closed bedroom door.

"Uh, I'm upstairs Mom!" Nathan yelled back as he secured his pants in place with his belt. Andy gave him a look.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" He whispered. Nathan sighed.

"Well unless you want to climb out my window, I'd say you're trapped," he replied. Nathan climbed off his bed, casting a frantic look around his room before an idea struck him. He pulled a large book from his bookcase and tossed it onto the bed. "Open that up, pretend you're studying," he suggested. Andy gave him an odd look but simply shrugged and pulled the book up on his lap as the footsteps outside the room got closer. Nathan ran a nervous hand through his hair and sat at his desk chair, nonchalantly turning it to face Andy, only to realize their previous actions had started to have an anatomical effect on him. "Crap," he muttered, quickly grabbing a textbook from his desk and opening it up on his lap just as the door opened.

"Hi sweetie," Mrs. Smith said as she popped her head in. She paused as she saw that her son wasn't alone. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you had company," she said. Nathan nervously cleared his throat and nodded, turning to his mother.

"Oh yeah….Sorry….mom…this is Andy……I….um, I'm tutoring him for the summer," he said lamely, hoping his mother believed him.

"Oh Nate, how kind of you." She cooed. Andy bit the inside of his cheek to keep from snickering. _I kind of think I'm doing more of the tutoring here,_ he thought to himself. He quickly bit back his grin when Mrs. Smith gaze turned to him. "Well, it's very nice to meet you, Andy," she said. Andy returned the smile.

"Likewise, ma'am," he said. Mrs. Smith looked back at her son.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're making new friends," she said with a motherly smile to her son. Nathan had always kept to himself. No matter how much she tried to coerce him to make friends it never worked.

"Mom," Nathan groaned, his cheeks turning beet red. Andy smiled, sending a private look to Nathan.

"Oh I think we're more than friends," he said. Nathan gave him a sharp glare. Andy turned his gaze to Mrs. Smith. "I'd say we're good friends…even best friends, Mrs. Smith," he said with a small nod. She smiled and nodded approvingly.

"Well that's wonderful; it's nice to see Nathan making friends." She replied. She looked back at Nathan. "Nate, honey, maybe you should see if your new friend knows any nice girls he could set you up with," she suggested. Andy snorted a bit, quickly hiding it with a cough as Nathan's blush deepened.

"Mom." Nate groaned.

"Oh yes, Natalie, just leave your bags right by the door," came an annoyed voice as a new set of footprints approached the room and Mr. Smith appeared in the doorway.

"Hi Dad." Nathan called, slightly glum. Mr. Smith's eyes went to Nathan before looking over at Andy.

"What's going on in here?" He questioned. Mrs. Smith smiled.

"Nathan's just tutoring his new friend Andy," she answered. "Isn't that sweet?" She asked.

"Oh it's just _wonderful_." He snapped. Mrs. Smith jumped a bit at his tone and quickly looked away as Nathan simply lowered his head, his shoulders slumping a bit. Andy looked at the three of them, trying to figure out what to do.

"Um, yeah," he said, combating the oncoming awkward silence. He looked down at the two books he and Nathan had opened to say what Nathan was helping him with, only to realize they were of two separate subjects. "He's helping me get ready for the SATs," he said, looking at the parents. "We're both taking this prep course with one of our teachers," he explained, figuring the lie they'd used for Mia's parents could work for all parental units. "I was having trouble with some of the subjects so Nate offered to give some extra help." Mr. Smith snorted.

"Figures." He replied sourly. He gave his son a hard look. "What do you need a prep course for? I thought you were the child genius, what could you possibly need to prep for?"

"Harold," Mrs. Smith chastised gently. Mr. Smith ignored her as his eyes narrowed at Nathan.

"This had better not be costing any money," he warned.

"N..No, sir," Nathan muttered. "Ms. Ford's just….doing it for free."

"Perfect." He replied. The room was engulfed in a tense quiet before Nathan cleared his throat.

"I…thought you guys were going to be on…your vacation, until tomorrow," Nathan said carefully.

"Oh there was a little mix up with our reservation," Mrs. Smith said lightly. "Your father felt it was best we just rest up from the trip there and come home." A snort erupted from Mr. Smith.

"A mix up? More like a fuck up if you ask me. Goddamn people can never get anything right." He snarled.

"Of course, dear," Mrs. Smith said, with a nod. She shrugged. "I thought the resort would be good," she said. "The Torkelsons down the street recommended it. They said the staff there was-"

"Well clearly the Torkelsons are morons," Mr. Smith hissed. Nathan swallowed thickly and cast an ashamed look towards Andy. Mrs. Smith turned and smiled at her husband.

"Well, let's just enjoy the rest of the weekend here then." She replied. Mr. Smith rolled his eyes.

"Why don't you just go get your bags from the front hallway," he replied with an annoyed tone. Mrs. Smith sighed.

"Alright, I will." She replied. She looked back at Andy and Nathan and gave Andy a small smile. "It was lovely meeting you, Andy," she said. Andy gave a small nod.

"It was nice meeting you too, ma'am," he replied. Mrs. Smith gave him a tiny nod before leaving the room. Mr. Smith watched her leave before turning his gaze to the two boys. Andy jumped a bit at the hard glare he was sending their way, more specifically his way.

"Nathan isn't teaching you anything." Mr. Smith snapped at Andy, who jumped slightly. "Although I'm _convinced_ that you're giving him a lesson or two in _other_ departments." Andy blinked, caught off guard by that statement.

"Uh…I'm sorry I don't think I follow, sir," he said.

"I think you know what I mean." Mr. Smith hissed. Nathan looked from his father to Andy, nervously biting his lip as he closed the book he had on his lap. The appearance of his parents in his doorway and the tension the second his father first addressed them had effectively remedy the problem he had been facing before.

"Uh, you know what, I think we'll just leave you and mom to enjoy the rest of your vacation weekend," Nathan muttered nervously. "We'll go study at the library or something." Andy looked over at Nathan and gave an agreeing nod.

"Yeah, I heard they have a lot of….SAT workbooks there," he muttered as he shut the book he had on his lap and slid it down to the bed. He got up from the bed and looked over at Nathan. He considered going over to him but he figured if Mr. Smith had some problem about Andy being in the same room as Nathan, he'd have a conniption of Andy stood too close to Nathan. Nathan stood up and placed the book on his desk.

"Yeah...Lets go." He commented. Mr. Smith stood in the doorway simply glaring at them.

"Sweetheart, can you give me some help down here? The bags are a little heavy," Mrs. Smith called to her husband from the front hallway of the house.

"Coming!" Mr. Smith barked. Nathan let out a quiet relieved sigh and mentally thanked his mother as he watched his father give them one last glare before stalking out of the room. There was silence as they heard Nathan's father tromp down the stairs. Andy looked at his boyfriend.

"What was _that_ all about?" He questioned quietly. Nathan looked over at him and shook his head.

"It's nothing," he said in a small voice. "My dad's just….not a people person sometimes." Andy raised an eyebrow.

"Only sometimes?"

"Just drop it, okay?" Nathan snapped. He sighed and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "Let's just go." Andy raised his hands.

"I'm sorry." He replied. Nathan shook his head.

"Forget it," he said. "Come on, we can go out through the back door," he said as he placed a hand on Andy's arm to usher him out of the room.

"Ok." Andy replied as they headed out of the bedroom. Andy followed Nathan down the stairs and through the living room as they walked to the kitchen. Nathan walked to the door and placed his hand on the knob. He cast a careful look behind them before slowly inching the door open. Once the door was open enough to pass through, he stepped aside to let Andy go through first. Andy slipped past him and walked out of the house. Nathan followed, carefully pulling the door shut behind him.

"Lets go," Nathan commented as they headed towards Andy's car. Andy nodded as the two reached the car and climbed in.

"Where to?" Andy asked. Nathan shrugged.

"Anywhere," he muttered.

"Ok." Andy replied as he pulled away from the curb. The two rode in silence as Andy drove away from the house while Nathan stared down at his hands. After a few minutes they drove along the edge of the park. Andy could no longer take the silence and slowed the car to a stop before parking it. He turned to Nathan.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, reaching over to take Nathan's hands in his. Nathan shrugged.

"There's nothing to talk about," he muttered. "My dad can be a little hard to take, that's all."

"Right...And his hostile comments towards me in regards to 'teaching you other things' was what then?" He replied. Nathan shrugged.

"No clue," he lied. Andy sighed and looked out the windshield.

"You know as much as I do that's not true," Andy said. Nathan sighed as he looked down.

"Just forget it, please?" He pleaded. Andy looked back at Nathan and shook his head. He slid closer to him and placed his hands on the sides of Nathan's face, gently lifting his head up so their eyes met.

"I can't just forget it when it looks like my boyfriend's living in a hostile environment," he told him in a tender tone. Nathan sighed.

"It's not hostile," he replied, shrugging as he slid out of Andy's hold.

"Ah yes, I forgot that most families scream and argue and swear at one another all the time." He replied non-chanalantly. Nathan rolled his eyes.

"Well I'm sorry Andy, but not everyone has sweet and quirky parents like you and Mia," he spat out. "Doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with them."

"He was treating you like dirt," Andy replied. "There's definitely something wrong with that."

"Just drop it Andy!" Nathan replied angrily. Andy's eyes widened and he sat back.

"I'm just trying to help," Andy stated.

"And you're doing a shit hot job at it." Nathan snapped. Andy blinked and pursed his lips for a long moment before speaking.

"Wow," he breathed out, shaking his head. He shook his head. "You know what, maybe you were right yesterday," he said. "Maybe this isn't going to work."

"Excuse me?" Nathan replied, his head turning slightly to face Andy.

"You heard me," Andy muttered.

"Great, so you just want to break up then. Fantastic." Nathan snapped. Andy looked at him sharply.

"Well what do you want me to do?" He snapped back. "I try to talk to you and you bite my head off. So tell me Nathan, what do you want me to do?"

"I don't know!" Nathan replied calmly. He looked away. "So, what is it then, things don't happen the way you want them to so you bail?" Nathan asked. Andy had told him about finding Mia and Christian together and the confrontation that had come out of it. He had thought it wasn't the best course of action but figured Andy and Mia were close. Maybe Andy did know what was best for Mia and had to be pushy to make her see it. But now that he was seeing this behavior he had to wonder if it was just an innate part of Andy. Andy said nothing in reply. Nathan looked down.

"Well, I guess I should feel special. I thought the whole 'make this easy for me or I'm gone' thing was just for Mia. So, if you're pulling it now I guess it puts me up there on the list, right?" He said sardonically. Andy ran his hands over his face and sighed.

"Maybe it'll be better this way," he muttered. "It's pretty clear your dad doesn't have warm fuzzy thoughts about me or the idea of us being on the same planet let alone in the same room."

"Well it doesn't exactly help things that you're so open with everything." Nathan replied. Andy gave him a sharp look.

"Oh, so because I'm not in the closet it gives your dad an excuse to be a nasty piece of work?" He asked.

"Apparently."

"Well I'm sorry for being so selfish by deciding I wanted to be honest with myself and those I care about," Andy spat out harshly. Nathan looked down.

"Your parents are understanding at least." He commented quietly.

"If your dad, or anyone else for that matter, can't accept you for who you are that's not your problem, it's theirs," Andy replied.

"That's easy for you to say," Nathan replied bitterly.

"Why?" Andy questioned.

"Well you said it yourself yesterday, people in your life had their suspicions about it before you even came out to them. They were okay and accepting about it before you even had to make the choice of being honest. Some people don't have that luxury. Some people already know that if they make that choice the outcome won't be as great," Nathan replied.

"So you decide then to just live a lie just so people accept you?" Andy asked. He gave Nathan a look. "Although it doesn't seem like your dad really accepts you as is," Andy said, thinking about the sneering tones Mr. Smith had taken when it came to Nathan's intelligence. Nathan rolled his eyes.

"Up until I was actually born, my parents thought that I was going to be a girl." He replied sourly.

"So?" Andy asked. "That doesn't give your dad a reason to treat you the way he does." Nathan sighed.

"My dad wanted a boy," he said.

"And he got a boy, so what's your point?" Andy asked. Nathan shook his head.

"He lowered his expectations when he and my mom thought they were having a girl. But when I was born, my dad's expectations and hopes went up again. He thought he'd have a son just like him--into sports, big man on campus just like he was in high school, everything," he replied. "Obviously, that's not me," he said. "As far as my dad sees it, I've just been an ongoing disappointment." Andy rolled his eyes.

"Most parents would be thrilled to have a genius son," he said. "You've got MIT and Harvard pretty much holding a steel cage match to the death in Cambridge Massachusetts over you. Your parents should be thanking their lucky stars and breaking out the east coast genius love."

"My dad would be happier if it was some second rate college in the Midwest giving me a football scholarship. Anything below that and it's nothing as far as he cares." Nate replied bitterly. "It doesn't matter if I could cure Cancer or walk on the moon... I won't be throwing a touchdown for the Green Bay Jets anytime soon."

"Packers," Andy replied gently. Nathan gave him an odd look.

"What?" He asked. Andy bit the inside of his cheek to keep from chuckling.

"It's the Green Bay Packers. There's a Green Bay Packers and a Jets, but there's no Green Bay Jets," he gently pointed out. Nathan rolled his eyes.

"Fantastic...My dad should love you, not hate you... You know sports crap."

"Barely," Andy said. "It comes with having Cheesehead cousins who go apeshit if the Packers show even a remote possibility of being in the Super Bowl," he smiled. "I'm more of an aquatic sports kind of guy."

"Its still a sports form." Nathan argued.

"Yeah well something tells me your dad doesn't exactly see surfing as football's equal," he said. Nathan shrugged. "What about your mom? Have you thought about coming out to her? She seems nice," Andy said.

"I would...But she's petrified of my father's reaction to something like that," Nathan replied. Andy gave him a careful look.

"Nate….your dad, he's…..never hit you or your mom or anything, has he?" He asked. Nathan shook his head.

"No, he's never hit…" He replied, only answering half of Andy's question as he let his voice trail off.

"Nate?" Andy pressed. Nathan shook his head.

"He's not abusive," he quickly spat out. "He's never hit us, so…Just drop it, okay?" He asked.

"There _are_ different forms of abuse...Not just physical." Andy muttered lowly. Nathan shook his head.

"He's **not **abusive; just let it go, okay?" Nathan said. He looked down. "Anyway, you were just saying this isn't going to work, so why don't we just end the conversation all together?" He said as he went to open the door and leave the car.

"Wait," Andy pleaded. Nathan ignored his plea and got out of the car, slamming the door behind him. Andy threw his door open and scrambled out of the car. "Nate, please." Andy continued to plead. Nathan looked at him.

"Please what? You're the one who said it," he spat out with a shrug. "So just go and find yourself some good looking surfer guy whose parents love you and leave me alone."

"I don't want a good looking surfer guy whose parents love me!" Andy replied as he continued to move towards Nate. "I want you."

"No you don't," Nathan replied.

"Yes, I do." Andy replied as he closed the distance.

"I'm sure there's a bunch of other little nerd boys you can have your fun with," Nathan said, looking away. He went to move back but Andy quickly caught his arm and pulled Nathan to him.

"Well that's too bad for them, because you're the only one I want," he replied.

"Bullshit." Nathan replied. Andy sighed.

"I'm sorry your dad's brainwashed you into thinking you've got nothing to offer or whatever it is that's bringing this out," he said. "But get it through your nerd boy genius head," he added as he got closer to Nathan. "I want you." Nathan looked away before speaking.

"Why?" He questioned. Andy placed a finger under Nathan's chin and lifted his face up so their eyes met again.

"I could tell you," he said with a gentle smile. "But if I stood here and listed off all your desirable qualities, we'd be standing here 'till next week." Nathan lowered his eyes.

"I can't come out to my parents," he whispered. "I can't be open like you." Andy put his hands on Nathan's cheeks.

"Then don't." He replied. Nathan snorted.

"You're the one implying that not coming out is the same as being a liar," Nathan said.

"It's a different situation now." Andy replied. Nathan sighed, closing his eyes.

"My parents can't find out," he muttered. Andy rubbed his arms affectionately.

"They won't...Don't worry," he said. He gave Nathan a small grin. "Guess we'll just have to settle for doing stuff at my house," he said in a light tone, hoping it'd make Nathan laugh or at least feel better in some way.

"Yeah." Was all that Nate replied with. Andy went to place a soft kiss on his lips but Nathan turned his head away. "Someone might see," he muttered. Andy stopped short at Nathan's words and sighed lightly.

"You're right." He replied. Nathan closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said. Andy gave Nathan a half smile.

"Don't be." He replied. He let his hands slide off of Nathan's arms. "Let's go back to the car," he said. Nathan nodded.

"Okay." he replied. Andy turned and walked back to the car with Nathan trailing behind him. Once they reached it, they wordlessly climbed in and pulled the doors shut behind them. Once in, Andy reached over and took hold of Nathan's hand.

"What do you want to do now?" Andy questioned as he gave Nathan's hand a gentle squeeze. Nathan responded with a slight shrug.

"I don't know," he said.

"Do you want to come over and watch a movie?" Andy questioned. Nathan nodded.

"Yeah, that…that sounds good," he said. Andy smiled as placed a light kiss on Nathan's cheek.

"Good." Nathan blushed lightly while Andy released his hand and started the car up. The ride to Andy's was very silent. Nathan didn't have a lot to say in regards to the previous situation, and spent the majority of the ride looking out the window. They soon pulled up to a two story Victorian styled house painted in a soft powdered blue color with white edges on the corners, windows and doorway. Nathan raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Nice house." He commented. Andy grinned.

"My mom's an interior designer.. She just about flipped when she found this house... Wait till you see the inside." He replied as they climbed out of the car. Nathan walked around the car to join Andy as he put a hand on his back to guide him up the driveway and to the wide porch. The two walked up to the front door as Andy fished his keys back out of his pocket. He edged in front of Nathan to reach the door before unlocking it and pushing it open, stepping aside to let Nathan in first. Nathan shot him a small smile as he stepped into the house. Andy followed him in, shutting the door behind him.

"Wow," Nathan said in a soft whisper as his eyes fell on the inside of the house. They stood in the front hallway of the house that led to the living room. Before them was an elegant staircase that led to the second level of the house. Andy grinned.

"I told you so." He replied, slightly mocking. Nathan rolled his eyes and turned to look at him.

"Yeah, I guess you did," he replied.

"Come on." Andy grinned as he grabbed Nathan's hand. "Let me show you the rest of the house." Nathan nodded and let himself be led deeper into the house. His eyes glanced up, fixating on the stunning chandelier that looked like it could light up the whole room and then some. They wandered into the kitchen which was just as beautiful at the entrance way had been. A beautiful bay window overlooked the patio and backyard. "Back when we moved here, mom actually tracked down the perfect house to work with," Andy said. Nathan looked at him.

"I thought you lived here all your life, like Mia," he said. Andy shook his head.

"Almost all my life," Andy corrected. "I met Mia a few weeks after we moved here from Wisconsin when I was two."

"Oh okay." Nathan replied, nodding.

"Mom wanted to move somewhere more...sunny, I guess, a little after I was born," Andy said with a small shrug to himself. "I guess she thought Wisconsin wasn't a fun enough place to raise a kid," he chuckled. "Dad of course gave in and looked into transferring to California."

"And to make a long story short, came here as a criminal defense lawyer, somehow landed on the prosecuting side of the fence a few years later, worked my way up the ranks as an ADA and am now the best District Attorney this town has ever seen," came a chuckling voice from behind them. The two boys turned to see an older man with an amused look on his face.

"I thought you said you were making a long story short," Andy said with a smirk. Mr. Baxter laughed.

"It was short enough," he said with a shrug. He stood up from his perch leaning against the kitchen archway and made his way to refrigerator.

"I thought you were playing golf with Judge something or other today," Andy commented as his father pulled out a can of soda. Mr. Baxter looked at his son.

"I did," he said. "Our tee time was 9:30, how long do you think it takes to play a round of golf?" He asked with a chuckle. Andy shrugged.

"Dad, at the rate you move, a year maybe." He joked. Mr. Baxter rolled his eyes as he kicked the refrigerator door shut and popped his soda can open, his eyes landing on Nathan.

"Well," Mr. Baxter said as he looked back at his son. "Andrew, aren't you going to introduce your friend?" He asked, taking a sip from his can. Nathan suddenly felt self conscious and slipped his hand out of Andy's. Andy looked at him and gave him a reassuring smile before he took hold of his hand again.

"Dad, this is Nate. Nate, this is my dad," he said. Mr. Baxter gave Nathan a friendly smile.

"It's nice to meet you Nate," he said. Nathan nodded.

"It's nice to meet you too, sir," he said. "Um….your house….it's amazing," he said lamely, trying to make pleasant conversation. Mr. Baxter chuckled.

"I'll pass that message along to Mrs. Baxter," he said. "It's all her doing. I know nothing about color schemes or home décor," he said.

"That, and he just doesn't really care." Andy chimed in.

"Well it's hard to care about something you know nothing about," Mr. Baxter pointed out in a teasing tone.

"True," Andy nodded, shrugging. "Every time you talk about your golf swing or how much the new drivers and nine irons cost, I just tune out." Mr. Baxter just laughed.

"One day you'll need to know stuff like that, and I won't be around to teach you kiddo." He replied.

"Sure dad, whatever you say," Andy chuckled. Mr. Baxter just grinned.

"How was your SAT study session today?" He questioned.

"Uh, it went well," Andy said with a firm nod, choosing not to mention the fact that his teacher was now in the hospital, since that would only lead to having to explain why she was in the hospital and he couldn't think of a good enough lie at that moment.

"Well that's good! I'm glad you're spending your summer doing something worthwhile that'll help towards your future." He replied. Andy rolled his eyes.

"And the thinly veiled negative comments about surfing begin……now," he muttered. Mr. Baxter sighed and walked around the kitchen island to stand beside Andy. He reached over and ruffled Andy's hair.

"You know your mother and I have nothing against you delving into any pastime you enjoy. Surfing makes you happy, that's good. We just wish sometimes you'd devote just half the energy you give to surfing to schoolwork," he said. Andy sighed, ducking his head out from under his father's hand.

"School's overrated." He replied.

"I wouldn't say that," Nathan said with a light smile. Mr. Baxter turned his gaze onto him.

"Well that's refreshing, a young man who doesn't scoff at education," he said in a light teasing tone to Andy. "And here I thought that only came from Mia's brothers and their parents not so gentle prodding," he chuckled, "So, Nate, have you given any thought to post-high school plans?" He curiously asked.

"Some," he replied. The affectionate repartee going on between Andy and Mr. Baxter was easing some of Nathan's self conscious feeling but he still wasn't sure how much he should talk about himself.

"Oh?" Mr. Baxter questioned. "Like what?"

"Uh, well, I really want to go to MIT or Harvard," he said. Mr. Baxter's eyes lit up at that.

"Oh, that wasn't wise," Andy muttered to Nathan.

"Harvard, really?" Mr. Baxter asked, impressed. "Has Andrew mentioned I went to Harvard Law School?" He asked. Nathan shook his head.

"No, he hadn't." He replied. Andy rolled his eyes at his father.

"We haven't exactly reached the 'oh this is where my parents matriculated' conversation yet," he said mockingly. Mr. Baxter chuckled.

"Alright, alright, I get it," he said, noting that Andy was fixing him with an annoyed look. He gave the two of them a smile. "Well, I should probably get back to looking over those files for Monday's trial," he said, turning to go back to his study. He looked back at the two young men and gave Nathan a friendly smile. "It was nice meeting you Nate," he said. Nathan nodded.

"Likewise sir." He replied. Mr. Baxter gave a small nod before leaving the kitchen. They watched him leave before glancing at one another.

"So that's my dad." Andy commented. Nathan smiled.

"He's nice," Nathan replied.

"Uh huh." Andy replied. He let Nathan's hand slip out of his grasp as he made his way to the refrigerator. "Do you want anything to eat or anything?" He asked. Nathan shook his head.

"I'm good thanks." Andy nodded and walked back over to him.

"Alright," he said. He smiled and slid his arms around Nathan's shoulders. "You know," he said, "I haven't kissed you in a while, I think I'm seconds away from going through the first stages of withdrawal," he smiled, drawing Nathan closer. Nathan blushed. Although he wanted to feel Andy's lips on his, he was apprehensive of engaging in any sort of lip lock now knowing that Mr. Baxter was just a room away. He opened his mouth to give a gentle protest when the front door opened and shut.

"Anybody home?" Called a feminine voice from the front hall of the house. Andy rolled his eyes.

"And again with the interruptions." He muttered under his breath, as if he were reading Nathan's thoughts. High heeled footsteps clicked outside the kitchen before a middle aged woman with blonde hair pulled back in a stylish yet professional bun and dressed in black tailored slacks and a lilac jacket entered the kitchen. Her flawlessly make-up covered face broke out into a smile when she saw Andy.

"Hi honey," she said as she placed her black handbag on the kitchen island.

"Hi mom." He replied. Mrs. Baxter balanced herself against the counter with one hand as she pulled off her shoes with the other.

"Oh, hello," she said, finally noticing Nathan standing there. Her eyes went back to Andy, giving him a knowing smile. "I didn't know we had company," she said. Andy nodded.

"Mom, Nate. Nate, mom."

"Hello, Nate," Mrs. Baxter said before letting her stocking clad feet lead her over to them and extending her hand to him. Nathan placed his hand in hers as the two shook hands.

"It's nice to meet you ma'am," he said politely as their hands slid apart. Mrs. Baxter gave a small chuckle.

"Oh please, don't call me ma'am, it makes me feel so old," she said. Andy smirked.

"Well, you _are_ old," he replied. Mrs. Baxter fixed him with a playful glare and poked his side.

"Watch it, kid," she teasingly threatened. Andy just grinned in return. Mrs. Baxter shook her head in amusement before walking over to the refrigerator. "Is your father home?" She asked over her shoulder as she opened the refrigerator and retrieved a bottle of water.

"He's in his study," Andy replied.

"Will you be staying for dinner tonight Nate?" She asked. Nathan blinked.

"Oh…uh….I don't know…I mean…" He muttered, letting his voice trail off. Mrs. Baxter turned to look at him and smiled.

"You're welcomed to, if you like," she said. "Any….friend…" she said, giving Andy a light knowing smile, "of Andy's is a friend of ours," she said referring to herself and her husband.

"Mom, how'd that consultation with the Layton's go?" Andy interjected, hoping to distract his mother from embarrassing him or Nathan. Mrs. Baxter took a sip of water before addressing her son.

"Oh, it went well," she said. "_After _I talked Mrs. Layton down from the floral and stripes ledge," she chuckled. Andy just shook his head.

"What a crazy old woman." He muttered.

"What's wrong with floral and stripes?" Nathan asked curiously.

"Well, separately, nothing," she explained. "But…the two don't exactly work well together."

"Do you remember the Britney Spears train wreck of 2010?" Andy questioned. Nathan just nodded in reply. "Imagine that... But in stripes and florals...On a wall." Nathan did his best to understand but he still wasn't quite clear. He figured that Mrs. Baxter, as an interior designer, would know best and simply nodded.

"Oh," he said.

"Uh huh." Andy replied.

"Well then," Mrs. Baxter said as she took a sip of water. "I guess I'll go see what your father's up to," she said, giving Andy a smile before she left the kitchen. Nathan watched Mrs. Baxter leave and turned to look at Andy.

"You don't have any siblings or pets that will now suddenly show up, do you?" He asked with a small smile. Andy grinned.

"No, that's it." He replied. Nathan nodded.

"Good," he said. Andy's grin only grew as he slowly put his arms around Nathan.

"Oh, is it?" He murmured. Nathan blushed.

"Uh huh." Andy gave a soft chuckle.

"Well, I'm glad you think that's good," he said in a light teasing tone before pressing his lips to Nathan's.

"Wait, what if your parents come back in here?" Nathan mumbled against Andy's lips. Andy pulled back to look at him.

"Is that your way of saying you want to go upstairs?" He grinned. Nathan's blush intensified.

"Wh….no….I mean….um…" He looked down, his cheeks burning a bright crimson. Andy just chuckled.

"Come on." He replied. He stepped away from Nathan and took hold of his hand, leading him out of the kitchen and back to the stairs.

"Andy, honey," Mrs. Baxter rang out from the study. Andy sighed and looked back down the hall.

"Yeah?" He asked. Mrs. Baxter's head popped out from one of the doors down the long hallway and she motioned him towards her. Andy looked back at Nathan. "Wait here," he said. Nathan nodded. Andy released his hand and walked over to his mother. "What?" He asked. Mrs. Baxter gave him a small smile.

"Keep your door open, you know the rules," she said in a quiet tone. Andy rolled his eyes.

"Mom," he groaned. She fixed him with a motherly glare.

"Andrew Baxter, you know the rules." She replied.

"We're not going to do anything," Andy replied. Mrs. Baxter nodded.

"Alright then leaving your door open shouldn't be a problem, right?" She said. Andy huffed out a sigh.

"Fine." He replied grumpily. He turned and went to walk back to Nathan.

"Oh, and sweetie?" She beckoned.

"What now?" Andy groaned, turning back to her. She smiled.

"He seems like a very nice boy, your father and I approve," she said. Andy rolled his eyes.

"Gee, thanks," he said. Mrs. Baxter chuckled and placed a motherly peck on his cheek.

"Go have fun," she said, patting his shoulder to send him on his way. "Just not too much fun," she added. Andy rolled his eyes again and turned away from her.

"Just one more year and I can move out, just one more year and I can move out," he muttered to himself as he walked back to Nathan. Nathan tilted his head and looked at Andy.

"Getting any answers from talking to yourself?" He questioned. Andy blinked and looked at him.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry, just thinking out loud," he said. He reached Nathan's side and took hold of his hand again. "Shall we?" He asked, gesturing up the stairs. Nathan smiled softly.

"Sure." He replied. Andy smiled.

"Great," he said as he led Nathan up the stairs. Nathan simply followed him as they reached the second level of the house and Andy led him down the door filled hallway before opening one of the doors. "My room." Andy announced as he stepped into the bright room. Nathan smiled and followed him in. He turned to look at Andy who went to close his door before stopping, rolling his eyes and leaving it open.

"Something wrong?" Nathan asked. Andy shook his head.

"Nope, everything's fine," he said, turning to Nathan. He smiled and slipped his arms around his waist before pulling him close. "Everything's perfectly fine," he grinned, capturing Nathan's lips in a gentle kiss. Nathan smiled against his lips.

"Great," he murmured. Andy smiled and backed him up to the bed. The back of Nathan's legs hit the edge of the bed. "Are you sure we should be doing this with your parents downstairs?" He asked. Andy tightened his hold on him.

"As long as they can look up the stairs and see the door's open, they're not going to come up here," Andy chuckled.

"Good to know." Nathan replied. He slipped his arms around Andy's neck as the two met for another kiss.


End file.
